Hanging By A Moment
by zelda49
Summary: Angsty Humorous Romance [DannyOC with some FA, MS, and HawkesOC] Second in the MaddieDanny series. Begins immediately following Ch 39 of 'It Could Happen to You': I'm livin' for the only thing I know, just hanging by a moment here with you.
1. The Morning After

A/N: They're baaaaaack! I missed Maddie and Danny and the rest of the lab so much and had so many more ideas for them that I couldn't help writing a sequal. Hollywood has taught us that sequals rarely equal the originals they follow, but I'm going to give it the old college try anwyay...I know you guys will keep my posted on how I'm doing ;-)

Enjoy!

* * *

Maddie awoke slowly, squeezing her eyes shut against the sunlight streaming in the windows, groaning into the pillow. It was then that her sleepy brain realized something wasn't quite right, that she wasn't in her own bed at home. She wrinkled her forehead in thought, her eyes still closed, and tried to remember what had happened the night before. She felt a strong arm wrapped around her, a warm body curled up against her, and a smile formed on her lips as she recognized his accompanying scent immediately.

That smile grew as memories flashed through her mind. Exchanging vows at the altar…greeting guests after the ceremony…telling Danny she was pregnant…asking Shayla how she felt about being adopted…dancing _so_ much at the reception…sneaking _out_ of the reception with Danny…giggling like teenagers as they undressed each other in their hotel room…

She laughed softly at the last memory and turned in his arms, blinking her eyes open to take in the sight of her husband lying beside her. His complexion was a bit pale and there were still shadows under his eyes, telling the tale of the previous night's celebration that had lasted long into the night, but the expression on his face was one of contented sleep. She brushed a hand lightly over his cheek, giving in to her overwhelming desire to touch him while trying not to wake him in the process.

Her plan didn't quite work. Danny's arm tightened around her, pulling her closer to him as he buried his face in her shoulder. She grinned broadly when she felt his warm lips on her neck and combed her fingers through his hair.

"Good morning my husband," she purred in his ear.

His kisses stopped and the only response she got was his breath on her skin as he sighed softly.

She chuckled and tried again, sliding her hands over his broad shoulders. "Good morning Mr. Madeline Parrish…" Still there was no reaction from Danny, so she resorted to the one thing that always got a rise out of him, maneuvering her mouth to the spot just under his ear where she knew he was ticklish and nibbling gently. "I know you're awake, Danny," she whispered with a smirk. "I can feel your fingers digging into my back…"

That got a small laugh out of him as he squirmed away from her. Seconds later he had turned the tables on her, pulling himself on top of her and pinning Maddie on her back. "I thought I was dreaming," he explained, kissing her slowly, "and I didn't want to wake up."

"That charm of yours doesn't work on me anymore," she laughed. "I'm your wife now…"

He kissed her again, allowing the taste of her mouth—morning breath and all—and the feel of her body against his to wake him up. His hand traveled down her back to her hip, then tenderly caressed her abdomen as he pulled away. "And the mother of my child," he reminded her.

She smiled softly and ran a hand over his face. "Children," she corrected quietly.

He noted both the joy and sorrow in her voice, knowing that she was thinking of Shayla and of the baby they had lost. Kissing her again, more gently this time, he rolled over onto his side and pulled her against him, letting his fingers trace across the smooth skin of her back. "Children," he repeated tenderly. He held her silently for a moment, his fingers continuing their path over her back as she nuzzled his neck. Then he spoke again. "You know, I talked to Sheldon last night at the reception."

"You did?"

Danny nodded. "I actually found a quiet place for five minutes," he chuckled. Then, becoming serious again, "I asked him what effect losing the baby would have on this pregnancy."

"And what did he say?"

"Same thing you said at the church yesterday—that one miscarriage doesn't affect the chances of survival of the next child. But he also said the doctor would keep an extra close eye on you this time around," he told her.

She nodded against his shoulder. "Yeah, he will."

"And so will I," he added, his arms tightening around her.

Maddie smiled and kissed his neck. "I know."

And he knew she understood. The doctor could look after her medically, but Danny would make sure she had the support she needed at home to be a good teacher, that his family and his past didn't interfere with their lives, that she and Shayla were protected and taken care of.

Maddie shifted positions again, pulling her face even with Danny's and leaning in for a kiss. "Congratulations Detective Messer," she smiled slyly, "you have officially become a good family man."

He laughed gruffly, trying to dispel the emotion that had begun to well up in his throat. "Who woulda thought that I'd get married…_and_ have kids?"

"Not your colleagues, that's for sure," she grinned. "Aiden told me they started an office pool on our relationship after you and I met."

"They did?" he looked genuinely surprised, and a little disturbed.

She chuckled. "Yeah. Apparently they'd been doing it for all your girlfriends. The over-under on me was two months, and something like a hundred to one odds that we'd get married."

"Anybody win?"

Maddie smiled. "The only other woman that knows you as well as I do."

He mirrored her smile. "Aiden."

"She knew."

Danny leaned in and kissed his wife softly, running his fingers through her hair and down her back. When he broke away, he was still grinning. "She was right."



Mac walked into the little restaurant and glanced around, looking for the two women he was supposed to meet. A giggle reached his ears and he smiled, having heard that very same giggle countless times at the Lab.

He headed over to the table where they sat, brushing a hand affectionately over Shayla's shoulders and leaning down to gently kiss Stella's lips. "What a lucky man I am to be having breakfast with two beautiful women," he grinned.

Shayla blushed shyly but Stella giggled again. "You're quite the charmer, aren't you Mac?" she teased with a wink.

"So what are you ladies giggling about?" he asked, his grin growing as he took a seat beside her.

Shayla's eyes lit up. "Pictures from the wedding," she replied.

"Yeah, Shayla got a little carried away yesterday," Stella told him with another laugh.

Mac surveyed the photos that were laid out over the entire table, noting the pile of other packs of pictures from several rolls of film. "You took pictures of _everything_, documenting every moment." He chuckled and looked up at the girl. "You've been hanging around CSIs too long, Shayla."

"Well, when the two people you love most in the world get married, you want to remember it," she explained softly.

"So it's safe to say there'll be hundreds of pictures taken at the adoption hearing then," Stella teased.

Shayla's patented shy smile appeared again. "If the application is approved. There are an awful lot of hoops to jump through…"

"…and Maddie and Danny will jump through them all twice if they have to," Mac finished for her. He paused and reached across the table to pat her arm. "I know you think the world of them for taking care of you when you needed them, but they think the world of you, too. I've never seen them happier."

The color crept up into Shayla's cheeks and her gaze shifted to the placemat in front of her. Stella glanced at Mac, smiling gently, a voice in the back of her mind wondering if she would ever have the chance to see him interact this way with a child of theirs. Mac met her eyes and smiled back, asking himself the same question.

Then the moment passed and Stella spoke, grinning mischievously at Shayla. "So tell Mac about all the things we're planning on doing this week while you're staying with me."

The girl laughed, some of the embarrassment melting away. "Well, we're gonna start with some serious shopping…"



"So what should we do now?" Don asked as they walked around the city, spending a little time alone together. "We still have an hour before you even need to start packing."

Aiden grinned. "And if you drive me to the airport in a squad car with lights and sirens runnin', we'll have even more time together."

"Done," he replied quickly.

She laughed, knowing he would get in hot water with his superiors if he did it, but that for her he'd try it anyway. "You know I was just kidding—I don't want to get you in trouble."

He stopped and took her hands in his, squeezing them gently. "You know I'd do anything for you." _Even after what you did to me_, he thought but didn't say. _I love you that much._

Her deep brown eyes met his bright blue ones and her smile softened. "I know you would." _And I don't deserve you…_

They held each other's gaze for a moment longer before both looked away, the awkwardness that had permeated their relationship since she fled to Virginia now invading their last hours together.

Don cleared his throat and released one of Aiden's hands, moving forward down the sidewalk. "Aid, can I ask you something?" She nodded and he continued, "Do you ever think about moving back here?"

She furrowed her brow. "Don…"

He stopped her with a shake of his head. "I know you still need time—and space—and I respect that. Hell, _I_ still need time, too. I was a wreck when you left me, Aiden, and I'm not ready to jump right in where we left off, either. I just thought it might be easier on us both if we lived in the same state…and I know how much you love this city…"

"Yeah," she replied softly. "I do love this city. And I miss you—even before we got together we saw a lot of each other at work and were good friends. But I think being so far apart is good for us right now."

That didn't make sense to him. "How?"

"We won't be tempted to rush into anything and ruin our relationship a second time," she explained. "If we're gonna make this work between us, we have to do it right."

Don nodded. "Yeah, we do. Or we'll end up in the same place we were before." He thought back to the days and weeks after Aiden left New York—and him—when the emotional nature of her job finally took too great a toll on her. He remembered how heartbroken he had been, how absolutely sick with grief and misery he was, and shuddered. He had no desire to go back to that place in his life.

"So we'll keep e-mailing each other…"

He smiled a little. "…and keep our phone dates…"

"…and _you_," she said, returning his smile and poking playfully him in the chest, "can get your ass down to Virginia to see me once in a while.

He laughed at that. "I'll see what I can do. Is there anything to _do_ in Virginia, though? I thought it was all just tobacco farms and old plantations."

"There's plenty to do in Virginia," Aiden insisted, taking mock offense at his question. "The whole place is a Civil War re-enactor's paradise!"

They both grinned at her comment, knowing there was more to the beautiful state than that, but bonding over their teasing of it.

"I'd go to the moon if it meant I could spend a little time with you," he told her, squeezing her hand again and smiling gently.

She smiled back, thanking God that, though they weren't anywhere near where they had been in their relationship, they at least seemed headed to a good place again. "Me too."



Sheldon was in the Layout Room going over the photos from his latest case when his cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and glanced at the caller ID, smiling at the name that appeared on the display.

"Hey beautiful," he said when he flipped open the phone.

His girlfriend Sarah smiled happily on the other end of the line. "Hey there yourself, handsome," she returned. "You busy?"

Sheldon sighed. "Actually, I am. Since Danny's off this week for his honeymoon, the rest of us have to pick up the slack and I'm working a double shift tonight."

"I figured," she replied. "You think you'll have some time this week to stop by? I found a new recipe I want to try out…"

"…and I'm your guinea pig," he laughed. "I'd love to, but you know I can't make any promises, especially since we're short-staffed."

She sighed a little but smiled as she spoke. "I know. I'm getting used to it. Can we make some tentative plans, though?"

"Absolutely," he agreed. "Wednesday I'm supposed to work the morning shift."

"So Wednesday night you'll be free…theoretically," Sarah added with a grin. "Wednesday's good for me."

Sheldon shared her grin, even though she couldn't see him—the thought of spending the evening with her always excited him. "Wednesday it is then. I can't wait."

She allowed her mind to wander over a mental picture of her boyfriend puttering around the kitchen with her, and felt butterflies forming in stomach. "Me either."


	2. All My Children

Maddie sat with Shayla in the waiting room at the doctor's office, reviewing insurance forms and making sure her information was up to date while she waited for the nurse to call her name.

"You sure Danny's comin'?" Shayla asked, peeking around her foster mother at the door. "He should be here by now…"

"He'll be here if he can," Maddie told her. "If he can't make it he'll call. He always does, right?"

The girl nodded and went back to the parenting magazine she had been trying to read in an effort to fend off the boredom of the waiting room. Every few seconds, though, she'd look up and glance at the door.

"Madeline Messer," the nurse called out from the sign in window.

Maddie grinned unconsciously at the use of her married name and rose from her seat. "Wait here for a few minutes and see if Danny makes it," she told Shayla. "If he doesn't I'll have the nurse come get you before we do the ultrasound…we should be able to hear the heartbeat of your little brother or sister already."

Shayla grinned as widely as Maddie at that thought. "Okay."

The mother-to-be disappeared into the back of the office and Shayla sat fidgeting in the waiting room a while longer. Finally, though, Danny burst through the door and hurried over to his foster daughter.

"Did I miss it?" he asked breathlessly. "Did they do the ultrasound?"

Shayla's smile was laced with relief. "No, they didn't do it yet."

"Shall we, then?" he asked, offering her his arm.

She took it and walked back with him, pausing momentarily to ask the nurse which exam room Maddie was in. They knocked on the door and were rewarded when the doctor swung it open.

"Just in time," he smiled. "We just finished up the exam and were getting ready for the ultrasound."

"Perfect," Danny congratulated himself, moving toward the exam table to kiss his wife hello. He gestured to Shayla to come over, too, and the two of them stood beside Maddie as the doctor lifted her gown up and covered her abdomen with ultrasound gel. She winced at the temperature of the goo and Danny grinned.

"Cold?" he asked with a smirk.

She swatted him playfully. "Yes it's cold. Would you like to find out for yourself?"

The doctor smiled amusedly and continued with his work, firing up the ultrasound machine and moving the wand toward the exam table. "Ready?" he asked.

Maddie and Danny shared a happy look, then shifted their eyes to Shayla who nodded excitedly.

"You better believe it," Danny grinned.

The doctor planted the ultrasound wand into the gel and maneuvered it around, trying to get a clear shot of the baby. A rapid pulsing filled the room, and an accompanying image flashed onto the screen revealing a small curled figure with tiny buds for arms and legs. A little heart fluttered in time with the pulsing, and the doctor pointed out the makings of ears and eyes.

Shayla gasped. "Is that…"

Maddie nodded, her blue eyes sparkling brightly. "…the next little Messer," she finished.

Danny didn't say anything for a moment, unable to tear his eyes from the monitor. He reached over and took his wife's hand and squeezed it, smiling softly when she squeezed his in return. He cleared his throat gruffly and shook his head a little. "That's him…"

"…or her," Shayla reminded him.

He laughed a little and slid his arm around her, his eyes still riveted to the screen. "Or her," he confirmed. "That's our little one…"

The doctor slid the ultrasound wand around some more to get a view from a different perspective, examining the baby from every angle possible. When he was satisfied, he punched a button on the monitor and printed off a couple of still pictures for the parents-to-be.

"Everything looks great," he told them with a smile. "And here are the first pictures…"

Shayla took the sonograms from the doctor and clutched them tightly in her hands, her smile softening with love.

Danny managed to tear his gaze from his unborn child and shift it to his foster child, squeezing her shoulders affectionately as he kissed her hair. "Protective already, aren't you?" he grinned.

Maddie laughed lightly and reached for her family, releasing Danny's hand to take Shayla's, leaning into his embrace as her husband's arm slid around her. "Look at the heart beating…"

The three continued to concentrate on the ultrasound monitor, memories of the first ultrasound they had seen invading the two adults' thoughts. That one had looked healthy, too, right up until the end of the pregnancy. Shayla saw it in their eyes, knew they were remembering their first child, and said a silent prayer for them and for the baby they had lost.

The doctor allowed the little family their moment, then broke up the party gently by sliding the ultrasound wand off Maddie's abdomen and sponging some of the gel away. He handed her a few more paper towels with a smile. "So remember—no caffeine, no alcohol, keep up with your prenatal vitamins, and make sure you get plenty of regular exercise."

"Yes sir," the mother-to-be replied with a wink.

The doctor took his leave, and with another round of hugs and quick kisses, Danny and Shayla followed him out so Maddie could get dressed. Foster father and daughter waited in the lobby, walking out toward the car with Maddie when the post-appointment paperwork was completed.

When they arrived at Maddie's vehicle, Danny hugged Shayla tightly and kissed her hair again before she climbed into the passenger seat. "Take care of her, okay?" he smiled. It was one of the many things they had bonded over, looking after Maddie together, and they always reminded each other of it.

"You got it," the girl replied with a grin, pecking him on the cheek in return before bouncing into the car.

Danny turned his attention to his wife, slipping his arms around her waist and pulling her close to him. "You take it easy today," he instructed, running a hand over her back.

Maddie smiled. "Relax," she replied, resting her arms around his neck. "Shayla and I are going school shopping today, and then the only thing I'm doing is getting ready for our first interview for the adoption application."

"Okay," he replied, "but that's it."

She grinned. "If you're this protective now, what are you gonna be like when school starts?"

He brushed a hand over the soft skin of her face and smiled gently in response. "I love you, ya know."

"I know," she told, kissing him softly. Her fingers threaded through his hair as his arms tightened around her. When they drew apart, she smiled again. "I love you, too."



Arriving back at the lab, Danny noticed Don standing in a secluded corner with his head slightly bowed, talking on his cell phone. His words were professional, but Danny instantly recognized the look on his friend's face and knew who he was speaking to.

"Hi Aiden," the CSI called as he approached.

Don whipped around, an angry frown etched on his face. "Hey Messer, do you mind?" he barked. Going back to his conversation, he returned to his corner and listened for a moment. Then, sheepishly, he called out, "Aiden says hi." Danny laughed, but Don continued, "She wants to know how the ultrasound went. Yeah, hey, how _did_ that go?"

Danny smiled proudly and pulled one of the sonograms from the manila envelope he was carrying. "Look for yourself."

"All I see is a blob…" Don returned, squinting at the image.

Danny could hear Aiden laughing on the other end of the line and joined in. "Yeah, but that _blob_ is my healthy child. Did you hear that, Aid? He's doing just fine so far."

"He?" Don asked. "How do you know it's a boy?"

The smile faded a bit from Danny's scruffy face and took on a slightly sad quality. "I don't…you can't tell for a few more months yet. I guess it's just an old habit from last time…"

Aiden heard the comment, becoming silent on the other end of the phone, and Don nodded slowly. After a few moments he patted Danny's shoulder. "We got our fingers crossed for this one," he said quietly.

Danny bowed his head and nodded back, glancing at Don out of the corner of his eye. "Thanks." The silence lasted for a minute more before he spoke again, sighing and clapping his hand on Don's back. "Listen, man, I gotta get to work. You're still helping me build that bookcase for Maddie this weekend, right?"

The young detective grinned. "You 'n me building a bookcase in the middle of your apartment after consuming several beers? I wouldn't miss it."

"Good, 'cause someone's gonna have to explain to my wife why her bookshelf looks like a three-year-old built it," Danny grinned in return. He headed down the hall, calling out "'Bye Aid!" as he moved toward Mac's office.

_One more thing to take care of_, he thought to himself, _before I get back to the Moretti case._

He found his boss in his office leafing through the nine case folders that sat on the edge of his desk, the cases that were his own personal cause now. Danny knocked on the open door. "Hey Mac, you got a minute?"

The older man looked up. "Sure Danny. What's up? Is that the M.E.'s report on the Moretti case?" he asked, gesturing to the manila envelope the younger CSI was still carrying.

Danny shook his head and sat down in a chair on the other side of the desk. "Nope. It's the O.B.'s report from the Messer case," he winked.

"Maddie's ultrasound," Mac smiled. "How did it go?"

Danny pulled one of the sonogram pictures from the envelope and handed it to his superior. "Doctor says everything's fine so far, with Maddie and with the baby."

"That's good news," Mac told him, studying the sonogram as though he knew what he was looking at.

_Maybe he does_, Danny thought. _He seems to know everything else…_ Out loud he replied, "Yeah. It's real good news. Now as long as it stays good news, we're all set."

Mac handed the sonogram back. "Well, you know if there's anything you need…"

"Actually, there is one thing," Danny confirmed. "Our first interview for the adoption application is tonight, and they're gonna ask to speak to our friends and family. Since Maddie's family is all in Michigan and my family, is…"

Danny's voice trailed off and Mac nodded, understanding the implication.

"…we were hoping you and Stella might be willing to be character references for us. You two have known me for a while, and you met Maddie even before I did. You both know us so well…"

"Of course we would," Mac responded seriously. "Stella and I both would be honored."

The two men talked for a few more minutes, moving from personal issues to Danny's current case load. Then, glancing at his watch, Danny stood. "I guess I should get back to work. Don't forget, I'm outta here at six o'clock tonight, Mac. If you need me after seven thirty just give me a call, but I gotta be at that interview on time."

"Another personal errand?" Mac replied. "That's two in one day!"

Danny didn't see the twinkle in his eye and began to get defensive. "Come on, Mac. I told you about this two weeks ago and you approved it on the spot…"

The elder detective broke into a grin. "I'm kidding. You're off at six tonight, and not in again 'til tomorrow afternoon. Go home tonight and spend some time with your family."

Danny smiled sheepishly back. "I will."



At six o'clock exactly, Danny trudged tiredly into the locker room to change quickly and gather his things before heading out to meet Maddie and Shayla for the first step in the adoption process. He opened his locker and set down the manila envelope he had carried with him all day, pulling out one of the sonogram pictures of his unborn child and taping to the inside of the locker door with a smile. He admired the picture for a moment, hoping for the millionth time that this pregnancy would end happily, then turned his attention to his clothes. Stripping off the polo shirt and jeans he was wearing, he exchanged them for a plain white dress shirt and black slacks, something he rarely wore anymore. With a sigh he reached back into the locker and pulled out an article of clothing he had always hated, a silky blue tie that he draped around his neck and reluctantly began to tie.

Another CSI wandered into the locker room at that point and chuckled. "Hey Messer, are you wearing a tie?" she asked incredulously. "I've worked with you for three years, and I've never seen you wear one."

Danny finished knotting the tie and cinched it up loosely, leaving a little bit of breathing room between his neck and his collar. "I have an appointment to keep," he replied a little shortly, more out of dislike for the tie rather than his colleague.

"And you're wearing a tie?" the CSI repeated, trying not to grin too widely at his obvious discomfort.

He checked himself out in the little mirror inside his locker and smiled, remembering the care that Maddie and Shayla had taken to select that particular tie for him to wear to the adoption application interview. "Yeah," he replied rather proudly, getting ready to use a phrase he had been trying out lately. "My wife and daughter picked it out for me."

_My wife and daughter_, he thought. Danny smiled again. _Yeah, I kinda like that._


	3. Antwan

A/N: Wow, it's been 2 weeks since I updated this? Sorry for the delay--I went out of town for a few days, and when I got back it was the end of the marking period at school, so I had to get my grades in. But I'm back now with a new chapter for you...get ready for a little drama ;-)

* * *

Maddie was standing in the hall between classes, leaning against the doorframe of her room, keeping an eye on the mob of students milling around as she chatted with the biology teacher next door to her. She greeted the students that she knew, smiling, joking, trading quips with them while hurrying them along to their respective classes.

Just as the bell was about to ring, she saw a face that looked familiar.

"No," she muttered under her breath, squinting and trying to get a better look at the boy. "I knew he was out but he can't be here…"

"Who's out?" the biology teacher asked.

"Oh my God it is…Antwan Jones," she explained.

The biology teacher's eyes went wide. "Antwan Jones that was dating Shayla?"

Maddie nodded. "Antwan Jones that beat the crap out of Shayla. He got sixty days on a misdemeanor assault plea because it was his first offence."

The biology teacher snorted. "First offence that he was _charged_ with."

"He got out a while ago, but I didn't think they'd let him back in the same school with her. And here he is, a week into the new year, waltzing around like he owns the place."

They watched with wary eyes as Antwan rounded the corner and walked deliberately past them, winking at Maddie with a wide grin. It took every fiber of her being not to tackle him right there and make him pay for what he did to her foster daughter, but Maddie managed to remain still, leaning against the door, showing no reaction.

Antwan continued slowly past the two teachers and down the hall, sauntering leisurely even after the bell rang. Maddie moved inside her room and called to her class to begin the warm-up exercises she had posted on the board for them without turning entirely away from the hallway. A student cursed loudly from her desk and Maddie's eyes flickered to her for a moment, motioning her to settle down.

With her eyes off him for a split second, Antwan yanked open a classroom door and burst inside, shouting demands and threats, grabbing Shayla by the arm and dragging her into the hallway.

"Help me!" the girl cried.

Maddie's eyes were instantly drawn back down the hall, and she sprang into action. "Mike!" she shouted to the biology teacher. "Call security!" She sprinted down the hall as Antwan began throwing punches, striking Shayla over and over again even as she begged him to stop.

"Rat me out, will ya?" he yelled. "Run to the cops? Don't _ever_ mess with me, you little bitch!"

"You get the hell away from her!" Maddie ordered forcefully. Blood splattered across her face from a cut opened up on Shayla's forehead as she shoved her way between the two students, shielding her foster daughter from the onslaught. Antwan wound up and threw another punch, hoping to get one more in on Shayla, but connecting instead with Maddie's cheek.

A dull groan escaped from her throat but she barely noticed the pain, her attention focused solely on protecting Shayla. Another teacher arrived on the scene, followed quickly by two security guards and an assistant principal who managed to wrench Antwan away from his ex-girlfriend and pin him up against a set of lockers. Officers from the local precinct had the offender in handcuffs shortly after that, all while Shayla was sobbing, bleeding, in Maddie's arms.

Once Antwan had been escorted to a waiting police cruiser, the assistant principal turned to Maddie. "Take care of Shayla," he said softly. "We'll cover your classes for the rest of the day."

"Thanks Bill," Maddie returned with a grateful smile. She helped Shayla up off the floor where she had crouched in a desperate attempt to escape her attacker, and gently led her out to the car for the trip to the hospital.

While the nurses took Shayla to a corner of the emergency room to clean and stitch up her wounds, Maddie slipped outside with her cell phone to call Danny, who dropped everything he was doing and broke every traffic law on the books getting to the hospital.

He marched into the ER pulling his badge from his belt and slamming it down on the counter. "Where is Shayla Green?" he demanded. "Where's my daughter?"

Before the slightly stunned nurse at the desk could answer he heard a soft voice call his name.

"Danny?"

He spun on his heel and rushed toward her voice. "Shayla? Honey, are you all right?" he asked, carefully sliding his arms around her and kissing her hair.

The girl turned into him and buried her face in his shoulder, tears forming in her eyes again. Danny held her close, squeezing his eyes shut as he whispered, "It' okay, sweetheart. It's okay, now…"

He released her a few minutes later when she had calmed down again, kissing her forehead and slipping around the curtain with his wife. "She gonna be okay?" he asked, his voice rough with unspoken emotion.

Maddie nodded. "No baseball bat this time," she told him. "He pulled her out of class and hit her with his fists."

Danny's hands were balling up into fists of his own and his lips became a thin, tight line as he pressed them together in an attempt to contain the rage building up inside him.

Maddie wrapped an arm around his shoulders, running her free hand over his stubbly face and through his hair. "He's going down for more than just misdemeanor assault this time," she assured him.

He slid an arm around her and looked deep into her blue eyes, noticing for the first time the bruise that was beginning to form on her cheek. "He added assaulting a teacher, didn't he?" Danny asked, his thumb stroking the purpling skin.

Maddie nodded again, tightening her grip on his shoulders. "I'm alright," she replied. "It was only one punch. But he isn't getting sixty days on this one."

"You're gonna have to give a statement," he reminded her.

"Yeah. I'm due at the precinct in an hour. The uniforms let me come here with Shayla first," she responded.

"I want to be there."

It was a declaration rather than a request, but Maddie shook her head. "Danny, I don't think that's a good idea."

His fingers curled and began to dig into her waist, another wave of anger washing over him. "I wasn't there to protect you at school, but I sure as hell am gonna be there every time you or Shayla have to be anywhere near this guy from now on. I will _not_ let this happen again."

Her fingers combed down through his hair again and came to rest on his chest. "I know, babe, and that's why I don't think you should be there. You don't want to do somethin' stupid…"

"With all those cops around?" he asked shaking his head. "And with you and Shayla there? Only if he tries somethin'…then the kid'll wish he was never born. But if he plays it cool, I'll play it cool too."

"You promise?"

Danny nodded. "I promise."



Sheldon arrived at the precinct just after Maddie and Shayla had been taken to separate interview rooms to give their statements. The desk sergeant directed him to the rooms in question, and the former Medical Examiner strode quickly toward them. On his way back, though, he found a familiar looking young man sitting dejectedly on a row of hard plastic chairs against the wall.

"Dantrell?"

The boy looked up and managed a half-smile. "Dr. Hawkes. You here with Detective Messer and Miss Parrish?"

Sheldon smiled a little, too, at the use of Maddie's maiden name, knowing that Danny had been insistently instructing people to use her married one since the wedding. But the smile went as quickly as it came. "Yeah. They just went back to give statements. Do they know you're here?"

Dantrell shook his head. "I just got here, and they'd already gone back. This is as far as the cops will let me go."

"You probably don't want to hear any of that anyway," Sheldon told him. "A statement has to be very detailed…"

"But I gotta know," Dantrell interrupted. "Miss Parrish will tell me a little bit about it but not everything, and Shayla won't talk about it at all…"

Sheldon looked him in the eye. "You're sure you want to know?"

The younger man nodded. "I need to. They're part of my family."

The doctor paused, frowning. Dantrell really didn't need to be subjected to more violence than he already had been exposed to, but he was old enough to make the decision himself. "Come with me."

The two headed toward the bank of interrogation/interview rooms near the back of the building, passing Don as he stood outside one of the large mirrors observing another detective taking Maddie's statement.

_The best friend looking after the wife_, Sheldon knew. _Family taking care of family. Danny must be in with Shayla…_

Walking further down the hall and around the corner, the CSI and the college student found the room they were looking for. Sheldon reached over and flipped on the intercom so they could here the conversation inside.

"So he pulled you out of your classroom, dragged you into the hallway, and started beating you," the detective conducting the interview repeated.

Shayla nodded.

"Where did he hit you?"

The girl described each punch, each kick, detailing each wound as the detective took notes. Dantrell stepped close to the window, crossing his arms over his chest to hide his clenched fists. Inside the room, Danny was struggling with his emotions as well, trying to remain calm for his foster daughter as he had promised his wife, but becoming angrier and angrier as he listened to what happened.

"And how did you dislocate your shoulder?" the detective asked, indicating the sling Shayla's right arm was in.

"That's from when he grabbed me in class," she replied matter-of-factly.

"Poor kid," Sheldon said softly. "She finally gets away from her abusive mother and she's still not safe."

Dantrell didn't reply, so fixated was he on Shayla's account of the incident. When she finished giving her statement, a female officer entered the room with a camera, explaining that more pictures were needed to capture any bruises that had formed since her release from the hospital. The young woman rose from her chair and allowed the officer to snap photos of her face and arms, and didn't protest when she was asked to turn around for shots of her back. Danny carefully lifted her shirt out of the way, the fury clearly written on his features as the camera clicked in the officer's hands. Shayla calmly took his free hand in hers and squeezed it gently, having cried out all her tears at the hospital.

Dantrell pressed his lips together tightly and frowned. _She's done this so many times she doesn't even get upset anymore_, he thought bitterly. _She's the one who was attacked and _she's _comforting _Detective Messer!

He made a promise to himself and to Shayla there in the hallway, much the same way Danny had at the hospital. _Never again_, the boy vowed. _This will never happen to her again_.

When the officer was finally finished with Shayla, Danny slid an arm around her and walked her out of the interview room.

"Hey doc," he greeted Sheldon. "Checkin' up on us?"

Sheldon nodded, trying to keep his own temper under wraps. "I was processing a scene not too far from here, and Mac suggested I stop by when I finished up. I found Dantrell here sitting in the squadroom."

"Can I talk to you for a second?" the boy asked Danny.

Catching the serious tone of his voice, Danny squeezed Shayla's shoulders and kissed her cheek. "Sweetheart, why don't you and Sheldon go see if you can find Maddie?"

She kissed him back and nodded, sliding away from him for the walk beside the doctor. When they were out of earshot, Dantrell turned to Danny.

"We can't let this happen to her again," he began.

Danny nodded. "Without a doubt. The Assistant District Attorney is going to ask for a restraining order when they arraign Antwan, 'cause the mutt's gonna make bail…"

"…but he won't care about a restraining order," Dantrell finished. "And neither will his friends. They'll come after Shayla again…and Miss Parrish too…"

Danny nodded again, frustrated that there was so little he could do to protect his family. This wasn't like dealing with his father's mob connections. They, at least, respected the rules of the game. These punks didn't even know there _were_ rules. "Neither of them should be alone."

"No," the younger man agreed. "But I think between the two of us, and the NYPD, we can keep them safe."

Danny took a good look at the boy as he spoke. He was obviously furious, but was mature enough to channel his animosity toward something good. _He could be out lookin' for this kid…huntin' him down like a dog to get revenge,_ Danny realized. _I sure as hell want to. But he's not. He's focused on the thing that matter most—his family._

Danny slung an arm around Dantrell's shoulders, proud of how much he had grown up in the two short years they had known each other. _Maybe this kid could teach me a thing or two_, he thought. Out loud he asked, "So what did you have in mind?"


	4. Moving Forward

A/N: If you see a bit of conversation near the end that looks familiar, that's because it is. The bit about the super-hero case is from the episode "Super Men", and not from the deep recesses of my brain. The rest, however, is, including--da da da da!--a dash of the long-awaited Mac/Stella that I promised :-P

* * *

It had become their ritual—Dantrell rode the subway to Eastside High to pick up Shayla after school and escort her to the library at City College, where they could work on homework together until Maddie or Danny made it home from work. This way Dantrell himself could keep an eye on Shayla so she wasn't alone for Antwan's friends to prey on her. 

It was odd, really, that they should spend so much time together. They had barely known each other when they were schoolmates, since she was a freshman when he was a senior. It wasn't until Maddie and Danny took Shayla into their home after Antwan's last attack that they grew to be friends. Dantrell had become a bit protective even then, wanting to look after the girl who was so close to the hearts of two people who were so close to his.

She was sitting beside him now at a table in the back corner of the library, working on her anatomy homework as he should have been doing, too. Instead he simply watched her for a few moments, noticing how much she had grown up since he had met her, yet how much of a child she still was.

Her voice brought him out of his reverie. "Yo, Dantrell…" she called softly, waiving a hand in front of his face. "Are you in there?"

He smiled and shook his head a little as if to clear it. "I was just thinking, that's all."

"You were staring at me," she informed him.

"I was just noticing the bruises on your face…you almost can't see them anymore…" he covered quickly.

"You _can't_ see them anymore," Shayla corrected. "You just think you see them because you know they were there."

He picked up his pen and went back to his assignment. "You're probably right." They worked in silence for a few more moments before he spoke again, keeping his eyes trained on his notebook, trying to keep his temper in check. "So I heard Antwan was sentenced this afternoon."

She looked over at him and studied his face, not quite succeeding in reading his expression. "Yeah," she replied. "He pled guilty to battery and got a year in jail."

Dantrell shook his head. "A year. What a crock—he'll be out in six months."

"Yeah," she repeated, "probably. But the judge made the restraining order permanent, so he isn't allowed to come near me ever again."

"Assuming he actually _cares_ about the restraining order. I know this guy, Shayla. I remember him from when I was in school there. He was a dumb little punk then, acting like he was all big and bad, but he was just a stupid kid. Now he's gotten into some hardcore stuff, mixed up with some nasty gang, and he's scary. He's really someone to be afraid of."

Shayla sighed and rested her elbow on the table, propping her head up in her hand. "I know. That's why I broke up with him last year. But you know, he never used to hurt me—he was real sweet when we first got together…used to bring me flowers and take me out on the weekends. He even gave me this…"

She pulled the necklace out from under her collar and showed it to Dantrell, and his eyes widened in surprise. "You still wear the necklace he gave you?" he asked angrily. "What's the matter with you?"

"Shh," she cautioned, glancing around the library and hoping they hadn't disturbed anyone. "It's just a necklace. It's pretty and I like it…and besides, it reminds me of the good times Antwan and I had together, before he got to be so dangerous…"

"Shayla, he's gonna think you want him back…or his friends will. You're givin' everybody the wrong idea here, and it isn't a very smart thing to mess around with this guy. Unless…you _want_ to go back to him…"

She could see the fear in his expression at the thought of his new-found friend getting back together with her vicious ex-boyfriend and looked away. "After what he did to me, I'll never go back to him," she said, her attention focused on the textbook in front of her.

He laid his hand over hers and squeezed it supportively, smiling a little when she squeezed back.

"I owe you," she continued, lifting her eyes to his. "You spend so much of your time keeping me safe when you have your sister and grandmother to worry about…"

"You don't owe me anything," Dantrell assured her. "I'm happy to do it, and Gran and Trina love having you around the house. Just promise me that no matter what happens, you'll stay as far away from that creep as possible."

"I promise."

He released her hand and reached for the clasp of her necklace, removing it and closing his fist around it. "And I'm taking this with me," he told her. "You can't move past him if you keep wearing it."

"Dantrell!" she cried in a harsh whisper, reaching for him to try and retrieve her property. "You can't take my necklace!"

"I can, and I will." He smiled as she attempted one more time to get the necklace back from him before he shoved it into his pocket. "Don't worry, I'll get you a new one for Christmas. You deserve better anyway."

She sighed and became still, knowing he was right. "Yeah, okay. But it better be a nice one," she informed him semi-seriously.

He laughed at that. "I'll do my best."



"Is this as weird for you as it is for me?" Danny asked as they walked down the sidewalk toward the restaurant.

"It's just weird for you because he's your boss," Maddie replied with a grin, squeezing his arm. "I'm perfectly comfortable going on a double date with Mac and Stella."

They entered the lobby of the restaurant and scanned the dining room for their friends, finding them already waiting at the reserved table.

"There they are," she pointed out, loosening her grip on his arm to take his hand for the walk over.

Danny rolled his eyes. "Look at 'em…holdin' hands, smilin' at each other, bein' all goofy…I don't wanna watch that all night…"

Maddie's eyes returned to Mac and Stella sitting kitty-corner from each other at the small square table. He held her hand in his, leaning forward with a silly grin on his face. She was leaning forward as well, an equally silly smile on her lips as she listened eagerly to what he was saying.

"Oh come on—they decided it was time to go out and get used to being together in public, and we're the ones they wanted to go out with, so deal with it," Maddie reprimanded her husband. Then she giggled. "And really, it isn't like you and I don't do the exact same thing when we're alone together…or when were _not_ alone for that matter…"

A sly grin crept across Danny's face as he stepped closer to his wife. "I just can't help myself when I'm around you," he whispered in her ear.

She laughed again as his warm lips made contact with her neck and squeezed his hand. "See? I think you'll be okay tonight."

The couple greeted their friends cheerfully and sat down to dinner, allowing the conversation to jump from topic to topic. They talked about Shayla and the first visit Child Services had made to the Messer household for their pending adoption application, about Antwan's plea, about Don and Aiden and the odds of the two of them getting back together, and about Maddie's pregnancy. But, as usual, the conversation eventually turned to work.

"So this guy dressed up like Super Man?" Maddie asked, skeptical about the case the three CSIs were describing to her.

"He did," Mac assured her. "He had the tights and cape and everything."

Stella grinned mischievously and turned her attention to her date. "Did you ever do that when you were a kid?" she asked. "Tie a towel around your neck and play super hero? Little 'Mac Man' maybe?"

The older detective chuckled. "You couldn't get me out of fatigues when I was a kid."

"I bet you were adorable, too," Maddie grinned, laughing a bit as she caught Danny's embarrassed expression out of the corner of her eye.

"How about a walk in the park?" Mac suggested, taking Stella's hand in his and giving it a gentle squeeze as dinner wound down.

Stella was obviously game, so Maddie answered quickly. "Great idea."

"Yeah, sure," her husband echoed amiably.

The sun had set long ago, but the full moon coupled with the city lights shone brightly enough to illuminate their path from the restaurant to the park. Mac's hand found its way to the small of Stella's back as they crossed the street, a gesture that always brought a small smile to her lips. Her smile widened as they reached the park and she turned, sliding a hand down his arm and lacing her fingers with his.

They strolled along in comfortable silence for a few moments, a handful of steps behind Maddie and Danny, when Stella spoke.

"Is it just me," she began, "or is this kinda of a contradiction?"

Mac trained his blue eyes on her curiously. "Is what a contradiction?"

"This," she replied holding up their clasped hands. "Us. Sometimes we're still kind of awkward and nervous with each other, with the whole couple thing…"

"…and sometimes being together is the most nature thing in the world," he finished with a gentle smile.

"Yeah."

He shook his head. "It isn't just you. It's our history, Stella. We've known each other for so long…"

"…it just takes time to adjust," she grinned, dropping a small kiss on his shoulder. "But at least we already have the finishing-each-other's-sentences thing down. Maddie and Danny do that, too…"

The two CSIs let their gazes settle on the newlyweds in front of them, watching as Danny leaned closer to Maddie and spoke quietly to her.

Mac chuckled. "Yeah, but knowing the two of them, they're finishing sentences about last night's Ranger game."

Danny, unaware of his colleagues' discussion, asked a question very different from what they had in mind. "Do you remember the first time we went for a walk in the moonlight?" he said softly.

Maddie looked up at him, a bit surprised. "Getting sentimental on me?" she teased.

"No," he replied quickly. "There's just a few things that always remind me of you, no matter where I am or who I'm with, and walkin' in the moonlight is one of 'em."

She grinned and squeezed his arm. "Well it should. We've…" She broke off her sentence and stopped walking, releasing Danny's arm and moving her hand to her abdomen.

"What? What is it?" he asked anxiously.

Mac and Stella covered the few feet between the couples quickly and had the same thoughts.

Stella spoke first. "Is everything okay?"

Maddie smiled before the little group could get too worried. "Everything's fine, everything's fine. I didn't mean to get everyone all worked up, I just…" She paused again and took Danny's hand, placing it against her softly rounding stomach and covering it with her own. Within a few seconds, an identical smile spread across his face, too, and the pride and joy were evident.

"What is it?" Mac asked.

Danny answered, grinning. "The baby moved."

"Isn't it a little early in the pregnancy for that?" Stella wondered.

Maddie shook her head. "It's earlier than I noticed last time," she explained with a note of sadness in her voice, "but now I know what to pay attention for."

The four remained still for a moment before the younger couple exchanged glances, speaking to each other without words. Maddie released Danny's hand and reached for Mac's with a happy grin.

"C'mere Mac," she instructed, placing his hand against her belly.

She surprised him with her swift movements, leaving him no time to protest. Instead he stepped closer to the mother-to-be and rested his calloused palm against the silky material of her dress, waiting for something to happen. Then he felt it. A gentle fluttering rippled through Maddie's abdomen as the baby inside her changed positions.

"Was that…?"

She laughed lightly at his wide eyes and nodded. "That was your little niece or nephew."

He kept his hand still for another moment and was rewarded with another flutter. His awestruck expression made Stella giggle when he glanced over at her.

"Pretty cool, huh?" she smiled, having been a big part of Maddie's first pregnancy.

Mac was still nearly speechless. He had been less hands-on the first time around, feeling both a little out of his element and a little saddened. He had experienced so many things in life, and some of them—like love—he had been fortunate enough to find twice. But he had never been lucky enough to have children of his own.

The baby moved one more time before Mac slowly removed his hand, still captivated by the experience. "That's…amazing…" he said almost reverently, recovering some of his powers of speech.

"You're turn's comin'," Danny teased, patting his superior on the shoulder.

Mac shook his head. "Not just yet, Danny," he chided. "Baby steps, remember?"

The younger man chuckled, recalling the day he had offered those same words to his boss. "I remember."

Stella laughed merrily as she took his arm and smiled into his eyes. "So someday there might just be a little 'Mac Man' running around?"

Mac blushed faintly as he returned her smile, but managed to surprise Stella nonetheless. "Maybe," he told her. "And maybe a little 'Stella Woman', too…"


	5. Past and Present

A/N: An update...finally! I've been working my butt off at school, then I got sick (occupational hazzard--1/3 of my students are sick, so of course, I am too), and life just got in the way :-P But here I am now with a brand new chapter for you, a bit of a variety pack because 1) the story's been pretty heavy on the Maddie/Danny aspect, and 2) because that's what the characters told me to write ;-)

Enjoy!

* * *

After Maddie's miscarriage, there had been no funeral, no burial, no wake, not even a headstone marking an empty grave. Since the baby had been a stillborn there had been no birth certificate, and because he hadn't been far enough along there had been no fetal death certificate either. Maddie and Danny had nothing to show for the loss of their child, nothing to give them closure, no place to mourn.

Until now. Aiden had asked gently if she could put together a small memorial for the baby that the State of New York said never existed, to help her best friends heal. Maddie and Danny had consented, receiving a shoe-boxed sized package from Virginia a few weeks later. They carried it with them now as they picked their way through the small cemetery on Staten Island in search of one particular gravesite.

"Here she is," Danny called softly.

Maddie followed him, moving beside him and taking his hand in hers as they gazed at the headstone.

Caroline Messer  
April 9, 1951—May 14, 1991  
Beloved Wife and Mother

They stood together for several minutes without speaking. Danny lay his head against Maddie's shoulder, prompting her to release his hand and wrap her arm around him in comfort and support. It was always hard for him to come visit his mother's grave, and today, with thoughts of their stillborn child heavy on his mind, was harder still.

Finally, the silence was broken when Danny sniffled a little and lifted his head, clearing his throat as he tried to compose himself. "Well, should we…?"

Maddie nodded, brushing a hand over his back. "Yeah." She bent down and retrieved the box Aiden had sent from the grass near her feet and lifted the lid, carefully pulling out the memorial the former CSI had so lovingly constructed—one of the last sonogram pictures from the first pregnancy, framed in a simple black wood. Across the top and bottom of the frame, Aiden had painted in delicate silver script

Our Sweet Angel  
Adam Daniel Messer  
January 27, 2004

Danny sniffled again, sliding an arm around his wife as he leaned his head against hers, brushing away some of the tears that had begun to spill from her blue eyes.

"He was so tiny," she whispered, clutching the sonogram tightly. "So defenseless…and I couldn't protect him…"

"Shhh," he returned, comforting her now as he gently nuzzled her cheek. "It wasn't your fault." More tears fell as he spoke, from his eyes along with hers, and his voice caught in his throat.

"Danny, it wasn't yours either," she returned quietly, knowing he still blamed himself. "You have always taken such good care of me…and our children. I love you for that, you know."

He smiled a little through his sorrow and kissed her hair. "I know. I love you, too."

She kissed him softly, then turned back to the sonogram, pressing it tenderly to her lips. "And we love you so much, little Adam," she told the picture. "Our first boy…"

Danny squeezed her shoulders and kissed her temple, releasing her for a moment as she bent down and placed the memorial against his mother's headstone. "Take good care of him, mom," he whispered.

Maddie straightened up and leaned against her husband, resting her hands on her swollen abdomen. "And we'll take care of this one," she added. "Your granddaughter…Adam's little sister."

Danny wiped his eyes, caressing his unborn child with his free hand as he said a silent prayer for her. She was as far along now as Adam had been when they'd lost him, and both Danny and Maddie were terrified that it would happen again.

He felt a flutter underneath his fingers and smiled softly, hoping the baby's movement was a good omen. "Our little girl."



"So how is it?" Sarah asked, anticipation written all over her face.

Sheldon grinned as he finished chewing the bite of salmon in his mouth. "It's wonderful."

"Really? You're not just saying that?"

He swallowed and shook his head, leaning across the table and planting a kiss on her lips. "Of course not. It's fantastic."

She kissed him back, beaming proudly. "Now, if only I could get you to make your famous apple pie," she giggled. "I bet that's pretty fantastic, too."

"Who told you I make apple pie?" he asked, surprised.

Sarah laughed. "Maddie," she informed him. "She said that when she was pregnant the first time she kept craving apple pie, and she couldn't find anything that tasted good to her until you baked one…"

"…using my secret recipe," he finished with a chuckle, remembering the incident fondly. "It's actually my mother's recipe, but whatever it was it worked for Maddie. Every couple of weeks I'd steal a few minutes at the morgue to put one together and throw it in the oven when I got home."

"What a sweatheart," she smiled, leaning over to kiss him again. "Just tell me you washed your hands first…"

He laughed out loud this time and nodded. "I even wore gloves," he promised.

Sarah sat back down in her chair and picked up her fork, returning her attention to her food. "Maybe you could make one for me sometime?"

"This time I'll mix it up at the lab…no bodies to worry about," he grinned, tilting his head a bit as he always did when he teased her.

"How about for Thanksgiving?" she asked casually. "And maybe…we could…take it to dinner with my family?"

Sheldon stopped eating and looked at her, a little surprised. "You want me to meet your family?"

Sarah met his gaze and nodded. "Yeah. My parents will be there, and my grandparents…my aunts and uncles…some of my cousins…"

"You want me to meet your _whole_ family," he clarified.

She nodded again. "Yeah." Rising from her chair, she walked the short distance to the other side of the table and brushed a hand over his face, her smile softening. "I love you Sheldon Hawkes. And I want my family to love you, too."

He stood, taking her hand in his and pulling her to him. "I love you, Sarah Curtis," he answered. "And I would be honored to meet your family."

She kissed him again, sliding her arms around his shoulders and drawing him closer. She smiled happily when she felt his arms encircle her waist, one of his hands coming to rest on the small of her back, and giggled a little.

"But don't forget the pie."



"I still can't believe you've never been to Virginia before," Aiden repeated as she and Don walked across campus at the University of Virginia.

"I never had a reason to," he replied.

"So you need a reason to do everything?"

She was teasing him, goading him into arguing with her, and he was trying not to let her get to him. It was much more fun to torment her by _not_ arguing back. "Maybe," was all he said.

She knew what he was doing and laughed out loud, squeezing his hand in hers as they walked. "Come on, Don…you love arguing with me," she reminded him with a smirk.

He shook his head. "Not today."

"Is it because I made fun of your driving?"

He didn't respond, keeping his eyes forward as they walked, suddenly not wanting to play anymore.

"That's it, isn't it?" she grinned. "Hey, all I said was that you drive like a New Yorker…"

"Aiden, I _am_ a New Yorker."

She laughed again. "I know that…I didn't get dumb all of a sudden when I left the city," she quipped. "But what I meant was, you can't drive like that in Charlottesville. You have to drive like a Virginian around here."

"Oh? And how do I do that?" he asked, trying to hide his bruised ego.

A sarcastic smile formed on her lips. "The same way you drive in New York, but with a Southern accent."

That made him smile a bit and he squeezed her hand in return. "You're a funny woman, Aiden Burn."

"I know," she winked.

They reached the part of campus known as the Rotunda, a large grassy area complete with bronze statue and several clusters of students spread out on blankets in the still-warm November weather. The pair found a place away from the crowd and sat down, Aiden releasing Don's hand and drawing her knees to her chest. They sat without speaking for a while, enjoying the bright sunshine and the academic atmosphere, happy to be spending a little more time together.

"I feel so old here," Aiden admitted, breaking their silence. "I'm not really—not for a graduate student. But still, I feel old here."

Don nodded. "It's the life you've already lived," he told her philosophically. "You've done the college thing once already, gotten a real job—a very serious and important job—and lived your own adult life before you came here."

"I fell in love, too," she said softly. "I had this whole wonderful relationship before I came here, that I totally and completely screwed up." She peeked at him out of the corner of her eyes and caught the expression on his face. He wanted to reach out to her, to comfort her, to help her the way she wouldn't let him help her before.

But he didn't budge, even to look at her. They had had similar discussions before, and he had already decided to allow her to make the first move, whenever she was ready. Instead, he spoke four simple words.

"We're here together now."

She glanced over at him, her dark brown eyes appraising him as though she were seeing him for the first time. She took in his tall frame, his long legs, his large hands, his broad shoulders, and remembered why she had been attracted to him in the first place. Her gaze rested on his face and she read his feelings in his brilliant blue eyes, remembering why she had fallen in love with him.

"Can I tell you something?" she asked quietly.

He smiled a little and nodded. "Yeah."

"I'm scared, Don," she confessed, shifting her gaze out over the Rotunda. "I just took off and ran away from all my problems, which makes me feel like a coward. So then I think I want to go back to New York, to face everything I left and prove that I'm _not_ a coward, but…I'm afraid I'll end up right back where I was…"

This time he didn't stop himself—that was the move he had been waiting for. Reaching over, he took her hand in his and held it firmly, running his thumb over her smooth skin. "You won't," he told her.

She shook her head again, her forehead wrinkled in thought and fear. "You don't know that…"

"I do know that," he interrupted, squeezing her hand gently. "You're already different than you were when you left. You're trustin' me…"

Her eyes met his and she saw the love he still had for her. "Yeah," she replied with a small smile. "I am."

She squeezed his hand in return, thinking—hoping—that he was right. Maybe things _would_ be different this time around.



Stella and Mac sat together in a little out-of-the-way hole-in-the-wall diner, a place very familiar to both of them, filled with many happy memories. Yet they were both uncomfortable, both re-thinking the decision to come. They made small talk, trying to pretend neither of them was bothered by the past they had there, but failing miserably.

Stella was the first to drop the charade. "This was a bad idea," she said quietly.

Mac continued to study the menu, shaking his head. "No, I think we needed to do this."

"Then why are you acting like I'm an ugly cousin you haven't seen in twenty years and barely know?"

Her unusual comparison jolted him from his musings and he looked up at her. "What are you talking about?"

She slid her hand across the table and laid it over his. "Mac, I know this is hard, coming to the same place you and Claire and I used to hang out together, but the whole point of this was to confront the past."

"Isn't that what we're doing?"

"No, it isn't," she told him, her curls swishing around her shaking head. "Not if you're going to sit here beside me and act like we're barely acquaintances. You haven't touched me since we came in…you've hardly even looked at me."

He sighed, turning his hand over and clasping his fingers around hers. "It's just gonna take me a few minutes, Stella. That's all."

"That's all?" she repeated.

He nodded. "That's all," he answered again, more firmly. "It's just strange being in here again. The last time we were here, we sat over there…" He pointed to a booth on the far side of the little diner, near the big picture window. "And you and Claire kept hitting on the waiter…"

Stella smiled as the memory came back to her. "We kept asking him for extra quarters when the jukebox ate ours and wouldn't play the songs we picked out…"

"And he gave 'em to you, too," Mac marveled. "I'll never forget it…"

"…we played _Brown Eyed Girl_ six times in a row…"

"…even though neither of you have brown eyes," he finished with a chuckle. "You drove the rest of the customers crazy."

"But you loved it," she smirked, leaning close to him and patting his chest.

He slipped an arm around her shoulders and smiled gently. "I did," he told her. "Because I loved both of you."

"You still can, you know," she replied quietly. "Even though you're not wearing your wedding ring anymore."

He glanced down at the faint tan line on his left hand, all that remained of the gold band that had only recently been removed. The sadness that had permeated his life when Claire died was still a part of him, but the pain of losing her was finally beginning to ease. "I know."


	6. A Merry Little Christmas

A/N: I know, I know...too long between updates again. I'll do better when school's over, I promise. Maybe then I can write two stories at once and get all these ideas out of my head! But I digress :-P Here's a new chapter for you, complete with a little (okay, a _lot_) of fluff. A couple of notes, though: the pink fingerprint powder has shown up on several different crime dramas, and is not a product of my twisted mind; _Stella By Starlight_ and _Buona Sera_ are songs by Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, respectively; and the Christmas carol in the middle section is not mine (obviously), but everything else is. So have yourself a merry little Christmas...in May :-D

Enjoy!

* * *

Danny awoke to bright sunlight streaming through the windows of his bedroom and immediately pulled the covers up over his head. 

_I just went to bed_, he thought. _It can't be morning already…_

He rolled over reluctantly, sighing as he pulled the blankets away from his face and felt around for his glasses.

"Eight o'clock?" he asked no one in particular as he squinted at the alarm clock. "Is it really eight o'clock?"

Beside him, Maddie shifted to a more comfortable position, sounding an alarm in his brain. _Why is she still here?_ he wondered. _She should be in school…_

He was just about to wake her when he remembered why she was in bed asleep at eight o'clock in the morning on a week day. It was Christmas break, and she was out of school for a week and a half of well-deserved rest. _Not that she'll actually rest_, he thought with a wry smile. _I bet she already has seven hundred things planned to do…_

He turned away from the clock on the night stand and kissed his wife gently, deciding to let her sleep for a bit longer as he climbed out of bed alone and headed for the shower. By the time he was dressed he could smell pancakes frying in the kitchen and wandered out to join his family for a few minutes before he left for work.

"'Morning sweetheart," he smiled at Shayla, kissing her hair as she passed by him with an armful of plates for the table.

"'Morning," she returned shyly, still not completely used to the affection she received from her foster parents.

Danny continued into the kitchen where Maddie was finishing up breakfast. Sliding his arms around her waist and caressing her growing abdomen, he smiled a little as his lips found her neck. "'Morning babe," he mumbled against her skin.

She turned and kissed him lightly over her shoulder. "'Morning slugger," she smiled back, using her old pet name for him. "Breakfast is almost ready."

"'kay…I'll help Shayla set the table." He reached over her head and pulled three glasses from the cupboard, leaving another kiss on her cheek before heading toward the table.

The three sat down to breakfast, sharing smiles at the novelty of the experience.

"We should do this more often," Shayla commented.

"Yeah we should," Danny agreed, nodding his head. "This is a good way to start the morning."

Maddie chuckled. "You two just like not having to find your own breakfast," she teased.

Danny and Shayla grinned at each other, but then the girl became serious for a moment. "No really, this is a nice family thing. I never had this before I came here."

The adults' smiles softened as Maddie leaned over to kiss her foster daughter's cheek and Danny slid an arm around her shoulders.

"You do now," Maddie told her.

The twinkle returned to Danny's eyes and he added, "And _we_ have a built-in babysitter…"

Shayla laughed, the lump that had formed in her throat beginning to dissolve. "Anytime," she promised.

"So what's on tap for my girls today?" Danny asked.

Shayla's smile brightened quickly. "We're going Christmas shopping!"

"Be gentle, okay?" he laughed in return. "Don't spend all our money today…"

"We'll be good," Maddie promised with a giggle. "But I do need to get a new dress for the Lab's Christmas party tonight…"

"No you don't babe," he told her, "you look good in everything."

"Everything she can still fit into," Shalya smirked.

Maddie nodded, her expression a mixture of joy and sorrow. "I've never been this big before…I don't have much that I can still wear."

"And I'm going to Dantrell's tonight, too, don't forget," Shayla reminded him, frowning a little.

"I thought you liked going over there," Maddie said. "They're like a second family…"

The girl nodded, but the frown remained on her lips. "I do—and they are—I just hate the feeling that I need a babysitter all the time. I'm seventeen years old…"

"You know Antwan's friends are still on the lookout for you, even if he's locked up at Rikers Island," her foster father reminded her.

She lowered her eyes and sighed. "I know."

Danny glanced at his watch and rose from his seat, reaching across the table to squeeze her shoulder. "You know it's to keep you safe."

This time she smiled a little. She had people in her life now that were worried about her safety. "I know."

"And you," he continued, moving around the table to plant a kiss on Maddie's lips, "will look gorgeous in whatever you get, so don't worry. I'll see you after work."

He grabbed his coat and headed out the door, striding quickly down the hall. When he reached the elevator doors he paused to wait, suddenly feeling very strange. _Did I just kiss my wife and daughter good-bye…and tell them I'd see them after work?_ he thought rather incredulously. _That was very domestic..._

The elevator car arrived and the doors slid open and he stepped in, punching the button for the building's lobby with a grin. _An old dog _can _learn new tricks…even a mutt like me._



"Has anyone seen Don yet?" Maddie asked, glancing around the bar in search of the Homicide detective. He wasn't an official member of the Crime Lab, but worked with the unit so much he was invited to the annual Christmas party anyway. "He said he was coming…"

"And bringing a date, too," Danny chimed in.

"There he is," Sarah said, gesturing toward the door and squinting. "Who's that he's with?"

"It's Aiden!" Stella jumped from her chair and greeted her former colleague first. "We didn't know you were coming tonight!"

The younger woman hugged her friend tightly. "I came up to spend Christmas with my family," she replied when she pulled away, "and Don talked me into coming."

The rest of the group engulfed her, anxious to welcome their friend back to the city with hugs and kisses and affectionate squeezes.

"Well, should we sit and chat?" Don asked with a wink when the crowd began to return to their seats, "or should we get right to the gifts?" The group laughed, and no one protested when he plopped his secret santa gift on the table.

"We'll chat while we open," Sheldon suggested. "Who's going first?"

Mac reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small black box. "I will," he announced, rising from his chair and moving around the table to present the box to its new owner. He smiled, the only one who had known she was coming, and squeezed her shoulder affectionately. "Welcome home Aiden," he told her quietly, "for a little while at least."

She looked up at him and smiled appreciatively, watching him walk back to his seat before lifting the lid. Inside she found a delicate gold chain with a tiny pendant hanging from it. Upon further inspection she discovered that the pendant was actually a miniature version of an NYPD Detective's badge, complete with her old badge number engraved on the back.

"Wow Mac, this is beautiful," she grinned. "You didn't have to…"

He shook his head, brushing off her thanks. "You're still one of us," he explained, "even if it's unofficial now."

"I love it," she proclaimed, bouncing up and planting a kiss on his cheek.

He blushed predictably and waived her away. "Okay, your turn."

She found her seat again and reached underneath it, grabbing a box she had stashed when she first sat down. "For Sheldon," she said, handing him the box with a flourish. "Merry Christmas."

The former medical examiner laughed as he accepted his gift. "Thank you!" This box was larger than the one she had received, wrapped in dark blue paper and tied with a yellow bow. Sheldon carefully slid the bow off and slit the paper, meticulously unwrapping the box and neatly folding the paper. When he pulled the top off, he waded through the tissue paper and laughed again at what he found. "It's a new set of fingerprint brushes and powders! Wow, this powder's hot pink…"

Aiden grinned. "I used those more than anything else in my kit," she replied. "And the pink is my own special concoction."

"Thanks!" he smiled again, leaning over the table to give her a hug. "I will definitely use these."

Around they went, giving and receiving gifts from their very closest friends. There was a foot massager for Maddie from Sheldon, "the best gift to give a pregnant woman," he grinned. Mac found a specially-burned CD containing songs like _Stella By Starlight_ and _Buona Sera_, along with a gift card to the best Italian restaurant in New York in his envelope.

"You can share that, too, if anyone comes to mind," Maddie teased as the color rose in his cheeks.

Danny had drawn Sarah's name, and had settled on a pair of ice skates after hearing her tell a story about skating as a child, watching with relief as her face lit up when she opened them. In collaboration with Aiden, Sarah had added a service to Don's wireless plan as his gift, sending the scores of every hockey game right to his phone so that, no matter what shift he was working, he would always know how his Rangers were doing. Stella found a shoebox with her name on it in Don's handwriting, filled with DVDs of her favorite movies along with several packages of microwave popcorn, "for those nights when Mac's workin' late," he laughed. And Danny, after warily eyeballing the tiny envelope Stella presented him, discovered a brand new memory card for his digital camera, one that was much larger than his current card, "because I expect to see tons of baby pictures in the spring," she winked.

The music on the jukebox slowed a bit and, as happened every year, someone got a hold of a sprig of mistletoe that was passed around from couple to couple as the group began to pare off and dance around the bar.

_Have yourself a merry little Christmas  
Let your heart be light  
From now on our troubles will be out of sight_

Someone handed the mistletoe to Sheldon, who grinned and kissed Sarah gently, pulling her closer to him as they moved in rhythm with the music.

_Have yourself a merry little Christmas  
Make the yuletide gay  
From now on our troubles will be miles away_

Sheldon passed the sprig to Maddie who laughed, holding it over Danny's head with a smirk as he led her around the makeshift dance floor. He flashed his most charming smile and covered her mouth with his in a deep kiss before leaning down and planting a smooch on her abdomen.

_Here we are as in olden days  
Happy golden days of yore  
Faithful friends who are dear to us  
Gather near to us once more_

Danny handed the mistletoe off to Mac with a wink, noting how uncomfortable his boss still looked with public displays of affection. Once he looked into Stella's eyes, though, Mac forgot all about the rest of the lab and brushed his lips over hers, contentment replacing the unease in his face.

_Through the years we all will be together  
If the fates allow  
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough_

Mac stealthily passed the little sprig to Aiden, who normally would have welcomed the opportunity to plant a big wet one on whoever was nearest to her. She glanced up at Don as he held her loosely and her exhibitionist tendencies faded away. Instead, she quietly reached up, allowing her lips to find his in a much softer kiss.

His bright blue eyes betrayed the surprise her touch brought.

"What?" she asked in characteristically Aiden fashion.

He shook his head a little. "That's the first time you've kissed me since…"

She smiled gently. "I know."

_And have yourself a merry little Christmas, now_



The merriment and gift-giving continued over at the Baker household, too, where Shayla was washing the dinner dishes with Dantrell while his grandmother helped his sister with a school project in the living room.

"So this is your first Christmas with Miss Parrish and Detective Messer," he remarked, drying a plate and stacking it with the others.

Shayla grinned. "You know Maddie's not your teacher anymore…she isn't even 'Miss Parrish' anymore."

"I know," he smiled. "It's just habit now, and I can't shake it."

"But yeah," she continued, picking up his previous question, "this is my first Christmas with them. And with you and your family…and without my mom or Antwan. I thought it would be weird, you know?"

"But it isn't."

She shook her head. "No, it isn't. Them…you…it's almost like I've always been part of this one big family—until I think about what my life was like before Maddie and Danny took care of me."

"Well, here's a little something to help remind you of what you have now," Dantrell told her sweetly, producing a long velvet box from a secret hiding place in one of the drawers. "Merry Christmas…"

Her eyes went wide and she stood still for a moment just looking at him. He laughed, the teasing little laugh he always seemed to direct at her, and she immediately smirked back, grabbing a dish towel to dry her hands with.

Her powers of speech and movement were lost again when she lifted the lid of the box. Inside she found an intricate silver chain threaded through five tiny silver rings, each containing a single gemstone of various colors.

"Oh my…" was all she could manage.

Dantrell laughed again. "Do you like it?"

"I…do…" she replied slowly.

He moved beside her and ran a finger gently over the rings. "Each one is the birthstone of someone in your family," he explained. "One for Miss Parrish, one for Detective Messer, one for Gran, one for Trina, and one for me."

"It's beautiful," she told him, the surprise still written all over her face.

"There's one more ring coming, too," he continued, "when the baby's born. We just have to wait and see what month that is."

"It's beautiful," Shayla repeated, this time with more feeling as the disbelief began to dissipate. She slipped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "Thank you."

Dantrell grinned as he wrapped her in a big bear hug. "Welcome to the family."


	7. We Are Family

A/N: Well, another slow update, but at this time of year I'm doing good if I'm bringing home less than 50 pounds of papers to grade :-P School is almost over (2 more weeks!), and then I'll have more time to write--to finish this story and begin the third in the series (which will be a big, comprehensive epic like _It Could Happen to You _was instead of a smaller-scale Maddie/Danny tale like this one).

Anyway, some cute family moments here for you, and the re-introduction of a little drama. Mac & Stella and Aiden & Flack are still around, and coming up later, so don't worry--I haven't forgotten them!

As always, enjoy!

* * *

Danny crouched beside a pool of blood, snapping photographs before collecting a sample and packing it in his kit. He stood slowly, surveying the room where yet another New Yorker had met an untimely end, and sighed. 

He raised his camera and was about to take a few more pictures when his cell phone rang. Pulling it out of his pocket, he answered smartly, "Messer."

Across the room, Stella was busy with her own camera and samples, moving carefully around the tiny apartment as she worked, paying no attention to Danny—until he hung up the phone. She glanced over at him briefly as he pocketed his cell and caught the wide grin on his face.

"Who was that?" she asked, studying him closely.

His blue eyes flashed with excitement as he answered. "Our case worker from Child Services," he told her.

"And?" Stella prompted.

Danny's smile widened. "The application was approved," he replied happily. "We can file the petition now to adopt Shayla."

"Oh Danny, that's great!" she exclaimed, hurrying over to him and throwing her arms around him. "She's really going to be yours!"

He hugged her back with a laugh. "She really is." He squeezed her tightly before releasing her, flicking his wrist into view to check his watch. "Maddie and Shayla are both in school, but if I leave now I can catch 'em at the bell." He glanced at Stella, suddenly remembering they were in the middle of an investigation, and the smile faded from his face. "Or, I could just call…"

She, in turn, took another look around the crime scene and shook her head. "We're almost done here," she reminded him. "I'll finish up and meet you back at the lab in an hour?"

"You sure?" he asked, the glimmer returning to his eyes.

"Yeah," she smiled. "This is news that should be delivered in person."

Twenty minutes later Danny burst through the door of Maddie's classroom. "Where is she?" he bellowed.

Maddie jumped nearly out of her skin and whipped around to face him, forgetting the experiment she had been setting up for her Chemistry classes. "What the hell?" she demanded breathlessly, despite the fact that she was still on school grounds. "Where's who?"

"Shayla," he replied, a huge grin spreading across his face. "Our daughter."

Maddie shook her head a little, trying to shake off the surprise and confusion as she crossed the room. "She's getting her stuff from her locker," she told him. "Danny, what's going on?"

He took a breath, deep and slow, in an attempt to calm himself down, knowing that if he didn't tell her the whole story right away he'd get so excited he'd never get it all out. When he was satisfied that he would be able to string together a few sentences, he smiled again. "I was at a crime scene with Stella, and my phone rang," he began, his voice low and steady.

Maddie suddenly knew what he was going to say, but she wanted to hear him speak the words aloud, to know that she wasn't dreaming the whole thing. "And?"

"It was Shayla's social worker," he continued. "She called me because she knew you were in school and wouldn't be answering your phone…"

"Danny!" she almost shouted, grabbing his shoulders and digging her fingers into the material of his coat. "What did she say?"

He laughed and slid his arms around her waist, his eyes twinkling down into hers. "The application was approved."

Her eyes went wide and she threw her arms around his neck, pulling him roughly against her. "Approved!" she exulted, holding him tightly. "Oh, Danny, it's really gonna happen…"

"She's gonna be safe and happy," he agreed, stroking her hair.

Maddie drew back a little, loosening her grip on her husband and smiling gently as she leaned her forehead against his. "…and ours."

He pushed a lock of hair from her face and brushed his lips contentedly over hers, pausing a moment before leaning in for a second, deeper kiss.

"I knew I should have waited," a female voice teased from the doorway.

The couple broke apart and laughed when they saw Shayla smirking at them, her arms folded across her chest.

"We were celebrating," Maddie explained, the joy evident in her voice.

The girl raised an eyebrow at her foster mother as she moved into the room. "Celebrating what?"

Maddie reached up and kissed Danny lightly, her blue eyes bright. "You tell her."

"Tell me what?" the girl asked again, her voice becoming more insistent.

"You're stuck with us, kiddo," he grinned, letting go of his wife to turn toward his foster daughter. "It's almost official now. The application for adoption was approved this afternoon…all we have to do now is file the petition in juvenile court…"

Danny kept talking, but Shayla didn't hear anything else. "Approved?" she interrupted. "The application was approved?"

"Yep," Maddie confirmed. "Home will legally be _home_ pretty soon."

The smile on Shayla's face said it all. She ran to her parents and flung her arms around them both, bear-hugging them until it hurt, whispering one happy word.

"Home."



"There," Shayla smiled, placing the last pin in Trina Baker's hair. "Perfect."

"Can I go show Dantrell?" the younger girl asked skeptically. "I want a man's opinion."

Shayla laughed. "He's in the living room with your grandmother."

Trina hurried from the room to find her brother while Shayla began to clean up the mess they had made getting Trina ready for her first date. Hair pins, curling irons, straightening lotion, hair spray, rollers, barrettes, and ribbons were strewn around the room, accompanying the myriad of clothing articles tossed on the bed and floor. Shayla moved slowly, hanging up the discarded outfits and gathering the hair accessories together, singing softly to herself as she worked.

"_Hanging By A Moment_, eh?" Dantrell smiled, appearing in the doorway.

Shayla stopped and turned, slightly embarrassed that he had heard her singing. "Yeah," she replied. "It's sort of the theme song of my life right now. You know…_I'm living for the only thing I know…I'm running and not quite sure where to go…And I don't know what I'm tapping into…Just hanging by a moment here with you…_ Kinda sums up the whole adoption process…and getting away from Antwan…and getting ready to go to college…all of that."

"I guess it does," he returned thoughtfully. "Speaking of the adoption, I heard you tell Trina that the application was approved today."

Her smile brightened instantly. "It was. All we have to do now is file the petition in court and wait for some judge to grant it."

"And then you'll be Shayla Messer," he grinned.

She stopped cleaning up and looked at him. "What?"

"You didn't know? You'll have the option to change your last name when the petition goes through," he told her. "You can stay Shayla Green if you want to, or you can take your parents' name."

"I didn't know that," she said slowly.

He moved into the room and sat down on his sister's bed. "What do you think you'll do?"

She shook her head. "I don't know," she said. "I'm not really attached to 'Green'—it's my birth mother's last name and I don't exactly have fond memories of living with her. But I don't know how Danny and Maddie would feel about me becoming a Messer, either."

"They'd be thrilled," he grinned. "But maybe you should talk to them about it."

She nodded and continued hanging up Trina's clothes. "Maybe I will."



Danny arrived home later that evening, pushing the apartment door open tiredly to find Maddie relaxing on the couch. Her brown curls were shining in the dim candlelight as they fell over her shoulders, and a contented smile was perched on her lips.

"Hey babe," she called warmly.

He moved further into the apartment, leaving his bag at the entrance and draping his coat over a chair, settling on the couch beside her. "Hey beautiful," he answered quietly.

She leaned over and kissed him gently, running a hand over his chest. He smiled softly in return, wrapping an arm around her and drawing her closer, dropping a light kiss near her ear when her lips drew away from his.

"You always know," he told her, a note of wonder in his voice.

She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder. "Know what?"

"You always know exactly what I need," he finished. "I never have to tell you when I've had a bad day, or when I want to celebrate, or when I need to be alone. You just always know."

"Because I know you," she explained with a smile. "And don't sound so amazed. You do the same thing for me, too. Whatever I need, you know it…sometimes even before I do."

That surprised him. "I do?"

"Mmhmm." She didn't say anything else, recognizing that there was something on his mind, but allowing him the time he needed to gather his thoughts.

Danny held his wife close, his free hand placed protectively on her rounded abdomen. He needed to talk to her, his partner, the love of his life—he didn't have to bear his burdens alone.

"Where's Shayla?" he asked.

"At the Bakers'," Maddie replied, "helping Trina get ready for her date."

"That's right," he remembered.

Maddie waited for a moment to see if he would continue, but this time when he remained silent she spoke up. "So do you want to talk about the trial?"

He smiled a little, marveling again at how she could almost read his thoughts. He had been worrying all week about testifying against his father and Michael Sassone, and she had known without asking. "It isn't the trial that's bothering me so much," he decided. "I think I've made my peace with that finally, but getting that phone call today from Child Services, and then from the DA about testifying tomorrow…"

His voice trailed off and she turned her head to catch a glimpse of the worry written all over his face. "Danny, honey, what is it?"

He took a deep breath and poured all his anxiety into his words. "What if the Utzielis come after Shayla? My father and Michael Sassone are probably going to prison for a very long time, but they still have allies in the family…"

"Didn't you make a deal with Mr. Utzieli?" she asked. "You testify only to what you and your father did, and to what Michael set up, but nothing about the rest of the family…and they leave us alone."

"I did," he nodded slowly. "And Mr. Utzieli is old school Mafia—he'll keep his promise. It's the rest of the family I'm worried about. They might not try anything with her, but we'll have to be careful anyway, and she won't even know why."

"She might just chalk it up to fatherly protectiveness," Maddie smiled. "Or think that you're still worried about Antwan's gang."

"Maybe," he said, his frown deepening. "But she's about to become our _daughter_, and she doesn't even know who she's dealing with."

Maddie laid a hand on his chest, playing absently with the buttons of his shirt. "Then maybe we should tell her."

"I don't want to put all that on her," he told her, shaking his head. "The poor kid's been through enough already…" He sighed, taking her hand in his and squeezing it. "This is the same thing I went through before I told you about my past. God! I wish I was a better man…then my family wouldn't have to suffer because of what I did…"

"Hey," she reprimanded gently. "You _are_ a good man. Your past might be ugly, but it made you who you are now, and I love you."

Danny opened his mouth to reply, but stopped short when he heard keys rattling outside the door. A moment later it swung open and a bright-eyed Shayla tromped into the room. She dropped the bags full of date-preparation items she had dragged over to the Bakers' for Trina, then noticed the candlelight and her foster parents cuddled together on the couch.

"Am I interrupting again?" she asked, a little worried that she really was intruding this time.

Maddie released Danny and patted the couch cushion between them. "Nope. We were just talking."

Shayla moved toward the couch hesitantly. "You sure?"

"Of course," Danny answered with a smile. "How'd Trina's date go?"

"Total bust," the girl replied, plopping down between her parents. "The guy showed up half an hour late, took her to some dirt bike race at Madison Square Garden, and spilled soda on her new blouse and didn't even apologize for it."

"Some guys are jerks," he told her.

"Not everyone can be Danny," Maddie teased. "A picnic in Battery Park and a kiss on the observation deck of the Empire State Building made a pretty good evening."

Shayla smiled. "Well, I can tell Trina there really are some good ones out there." She sat for a moment in silence, the smile fading slowly from her face as she recalled the other revelation of the evening.

"What is it, sweetheart?" Danny asked.

"Dantrell mentioned to me something about being able to change my last name when the adoption petition was granted. I-I've been thinking about it all night…and I'm not sure yet…but I think I might want to do it."

"You want to be Shayla Messer?" Danny said, surprised.

She nodded, looking from one parent to the other. "You've taken such good care of me even though I'm not yours. I was just some charity case in one of Maddie's classes, but you took me in, and never treated me with anything other than love and respect. I can only hope that someday I'll grow up to be as good a person as the two of you are, and I'd be proud to have your name."

Maddie glanced over at her husband, reading the conflict of emotions playing out in his eyes.

_What an amazing kid_, he thought. _Every father should be so lucky…I'd be honored if she had my name. But she doesn't know what kind of family the Messers really are…_

His gaze met Maddie's over the top of Shayla's head and he silently asked for her help.

_What do we say to her?_


	8. All These Things That I've Done

AN: Whew! It's over, it's finally over! LOL, see? Teachers are just as excited as students to be done with school (because now I don't have to get up before dawn!) :-D And that means I can write more often, too, so you won't have to wait so long for updates anymore :-P

Anyway, here's some good old-fashioned angst to make up for my conspicuous absence. As always, enjoy!

* * *

Danny sighed, resting his forehead against Maddie's, holding her close against him even though they were standing in the middle of her classroom. "Wish me luck…"

Maddie combed her fingers through his hair, trying to impart strength through her touch. "She loves you Danny, just remember that. And so do I."

He leaned in for a kiss, smiling a little despite the trepidation he felt. "I know." He released her with one last squeeze of her hand and walked to the door, meeting Shayla as she entered the room. "Ready kiddo?"

She nodded, her smile a mixture of delight and puzzlement at the prospect of spending the afternoon with her foster father instead of Dantrell. "All set." She looped her arm through his and led him into the hallway, waiving and calling her good-byes to Maddie.

The two chatted normally during the drive home, asking each other about their days and upcoming plans for the week. They discussed the details of the baby shower Stella was throwing for Maddie, and how excited they both were for the next doctor's appointment when they would get another glimpse of the littlest Messer through the latest ultrasound.

It wasn't until they arrived home that an awkward silence fell between them. Shayla could tell there was something on Danny's mind, but didn't know how—or even if—she should broach the subject. Danny didn't help matters, either, with his tentative glances at his foster daughter as she sat beside him on the couch, opening his mouth to speak, then shutting it again abruptly.

Finally, he took a deep breath and found his voice. "Sweetheart, there's something I need to tell you, and it's not gonna be easy…"

"Okay."

She smiled softly at him, the adoring daddy's-little-girl smile that always made him melt just a little, and a guilty knot formed in his stomach. _C'mon Messer, tell her_, a voice in his head commanded. _She deserves to know…_

"I know you think I'm a good person because of the work that I do, because Maddie and I took you in…but I'm not. I…" He took another deep breath and met her large brown eyes with his troubled blue ones. "I was part of the Mafia before I was a cop," he spat out, "and I helped cover up a murder."

Shayla's eyes went wide. "You…what?"

He nodded slowly. "My father killed a man…when I was about your age…he was following orders from the head of the Utzieli crime family…and I helped him cover it up."

"Why are you telling me this?" she wondered, her forehead wrinkled in confusion. It just didn't add up. Danny had covered up a _murder_? Her foster father, who had held her so tenderly after Antwan's attack, who was so protective of her life, had helped take someone else's?

He studied her face, her eyes dull and wide with shock, her lips pulled into a harsh frown. _That's the way Maddie looked when I told her_, he remembered. But in Shayla he noted something else that he hadn't seen in Maddie disappointment.

His expression was pained as he answered her. "Because you're about to become a member of this family and you deserve to know the truth about it. I want you to know who I am."

"That you're part of the mob?" she asked quietly.

"Was," he corrected firmly. "I got out a long time ago…"

"…and that you helped a _murderer_ go free?" she interrupted.

He hung his head, unable to look her in the eye any longer. "Yes."

Shayla was silent for a long moment. When she spoke again, her voice was barely audible. "Does Maddie know?"

Danny nodded again. "She miscarried little Adam when I told her," he replied softly.

The girl recoiled at the information. "And she's still with you?" she asked in horror. "You helped kill a man, and then you murdered your son too?"

_Just remember she loves you_, Maddie had told him, but he could feel that love slipping away. "Shayla, you have to believe me when I say I'm sorry for the things I did…you have no idea how sorry…"

Images of the day Maddie and Danny had taken Adam's last sonogram to the cemetery flooded her mind, trying to remind her of how deep Danny's anguish had been, of how much he had loved his son, of how much he loved her. But she pushed them away and rose from the couch. "I…I can't stay here…"

"Wait," he called after her, following her into the entryway of the apartment. "Where are you going?"

"Why? You got plans to get me, too?" she hurled accusingly at him. Grabbing her coat, she stormed out and disappeared, letting the door slam behind her.

Danny watched her go, tears forming in his eyes despite his best efforts to keep them from doing so. He had been terrified he would lose Shayla when he told her about his past, just as he had been so afraid of losing Maddie. His wife was stronger than he had realized, and had worked though his issues with him. But his foster daughter was still a child in many ways.

He sniffled, his lips curling into a snarly frown as he tried to shake the question that he knew would haunt him in the coming days.

"But is she still _my_ child?"



_Where can I go?_ Shayla asked herself as she hurried down the street.

_Anywhere but home_, a voice in her mind answered.

She trotted down the stairs of the nearest subway station, her thoughts still spinning. _My foster father was a mobster and accessory to murder, my foster mother doesn't seem to care, and my ex-boyfriend is still trying to terrorize me from his jail cell._ She heaved a defeated sigh and brushed the tears from her cheeks. "Why can't I have a normal life?" she pleaded aloud.

"If I had a nickel for every time I said that," said a deep voice standing beside her on the platform.

Shayla looked over to see a man in rumpled clothes, who very obviously hadn't showered in quite some time, eyeing her salaciously. "Uh, yeah." She slowly moved away from the man, keeping one eye on him at all times. _I better get somewhere fast…_

The train pulled into the station and Shayla got on, relieved to note that the smelly man was waiting for a different one. The car was crowded with rush hour commuters on their way home, and she automatically did what Danny had taught her to do shortly after she had met him. _"Stay near the conductor when you're by yourself," _he had told her. _"Things are less likely to happen with another set of eyes around."_

She sighed again, bewildered. The version of Danny that she knew was completely at odds with the version he had confessed to her, and she couldn't make her brain reconcile the two. _Stella's good at sorting things out_, she decided. _I'll go see her…_

She got off at the appropriate stop and walked quickly to Stella's building, praying that she was home. When the CSI opened the door, Shayla let out a relieved whimper. "Stella!"

"Shayla?" the older woman asked, wondering what the girl was doing there alone. "Shayla, what's wrong?"

"It's awful, Stella," Shayla answered, starting to cry again. "I had a fight with Danny…"

Stella wrapped her arms around her young friend and drew her into the apartment. "Shhh, it's okay," she said soothingly.

"Stella?" a voice called from the living room.

Shayla instantly recognized the voice and lifted her face from Stella's shoulder. "Mac? Oh no, I'm interrupting…"

"No, no, no," Mac insisted, observing her tear-stained cheeks. "You're not interrupting. Something's upset you and you came looking for a friendly face. That's never interrupting."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded firmly. "Absolutely. Now, do your parents know you're here?"

Shayla shook her head. "I just _left_…"

"Okay. I'll call them and let them know you're safe on my way to get dinner. You like pepperoni on your pizza?"

She nodded again.

Mac smiled reassuringly. "Then I'll let you ladies sort things out, and I'll be back." He went off in search of his coat, trying not to eavesdrop on the conversation, partly out of respect and partly out of intimidation. There was little in life that Mac Taylor was not experienced with, but he was totally out of his element here.

"…he picked me up from school today instead of Dantrell and took me home…and…and told me…"

Mac straightened up suddenly and was moving back toward Stella and Shayla before he knew what he was doing. _Danny must have told her about his family…_

He cleared his throat as he approached, cutting short Shayla's tale of events. "Danny told you something that upset you?" he asked carefully.

Shayla nodded her head against Stella's shoulder. "He told me…" She stopped mid-sentence, catching the subtle shake of his head. "You know?" she mouthed.

Mac nodded. "Maybe you'd better get dinner, Stella, and I'll stay here with Shayla?"

Stella, totally mystified, looked from Mac to Shayla and could see that something was going on that she wasn't privy to. She could also see that Shayla needed someone who was. "Okay." She squeezed the girl tightly and released her. "_I'll_ be back, then."

They waited until she left, then sat side by side on the couch.

"He told you about his family, didn't he?" It was more of a statement then a question.

"Yeah," she responded quietly. "He told you, too?"

Mac nodded again. "Mmhmm."

Shayla turned to look at him, wonderment and confusion in her eyes. "Then how can you even stand to be in the same room with him? Knowing what he did, what he was part of…"

"It's hard to adjust to," he admitted. "And you'll never look at him the same way, ever. But he's the way his is now because of what he was then."

"How?"

"He had to be strong to get away from all that, especially when everything in his life was pulling him in," Mac replied. "And remember he was only seventeen…the same age you are now."

"I've been through a lot, too, y'know," she told him defensively.

"You have," he agreed, "and you were strong enough to get through it. You and Danny have that in common."

Shayla mulled that over for a moment, her gaze shifting to her hands resting in her lap. "He covered up a murder, though. He helped a killer go free…"

"He didn't tell you the whole story, then."

She looked up at him again, frightened and angry. "There's more?"

"He testified against his father for that murder—the jury is deliberating as we speak. He's trying to make amends for his past, Shayla…trying to be honest with you." In an uncharacteristic gesture, he reached out and took her hand in his, giving it a comforting squeeze. "He's trying to do right by you, to be a good father. That's why he told you about his past."

"Because he loves me," she finished, knowing where Mac was going, but not entirely convinced he was right.

Mac nodded, confirming her statement. "Because he loves you."



"That was Stella," Maddie called, waddling slowly into the bedroom where Danny stood staring out the window. "Shayla's at her place with Mac. She's gonna stay with them for the night." She slid an arm around him, dropping a light kiss on his shoulder.

He smiled a little and wrapped his arm around her in return. "Okay."

"You did the right thing, Danny."

He nodded absently. "Yeah."

"Hey," she brushed a hand over his face and directed his gaze toward her. "Never for a second was I sorry you told me about your past, not even as you were telling me."

He searched her eyes as she spoke. "Not even when we lost Adam?" he asked bitterly.

"That wasn't your fault," she told him firmly. "You telling me about your family had nothing to do with losing our baby."

"But it's happening again," he insisted. "I let the secret out of the bag, and we're gonna lose another child…"

"She's a strong kid," Maddie reminded him. "But she needs some time to figure things out for herself." She reached up and kissed him gently, squeezing his arm as she released him. "She's a lot like you."

He shook his head. "She's better than me." His unseeing eyes remained trained on the city outside the window for a few moments longer before he shook his head again and forced his thoughts back inside the apartment. "You look tired," he told his wife gently, turning toward her and pulling her closer.

She leaned her head against his chest. "I am. Between school and the pregnancy…"

"You need more rest," he said. "Why don't you lay down and take a nap?" He bent down and kissed her tenderly. "I'll even join you."

Her eyes twinkled a bit as she responded, "You do realize we're actually going to _sleep_, though, right?"

That brought a real smile to his face. "Yeah, I know."

The couple crawled into bed together and found comfortable positions, Maddie on her side so the baby would squish any vital organs and Danny with his arm slung protectively around her. She laced her fingers with his and rested their hands on her abdomen, where they could feel their little girl moving.

Danny buried his face in Maddie's hair, grief and sorrow and anxiety welling up inside him again, his dark past storming back to ruin his future. He tried to calm himself by concentrating on his wife's breathing, regular and slow with the occasional hitch when the baby kicked, and tried to be optimistic about Shayla. But he drifted off to sleep a tortured man.

_Danny is standing in a field facing two armed men, knowing he is in danger but waiting for them to make the first move._

His eyelids twitched and his breathing became shallow as he recognized the beginning of the nightmare he'd had so many times before. This time, though, there was a twist.

_Words are exchanged and the two men reach for their guns, prompting Danny to draw his. He gets the drop on them, his weapon cocked and aimed before theirs are even out of their holsters, but the two men only laugh._

_Standing behind them is Shayla._

"Shayla!" he called out into the darkened bedroom.

Maddie awoke at the sound of his voice, turning over to face him and recognizing his distressed expression. "He hasn't had a nightmare in a while," she mumbled to herself, drawing him to her, comforting him as best she could until it was over.

"_Shayla! Get away from them!" he commands._

_But she only smirks and shakes her head. "I'm going with them," she says. "As far away as I can get from you."_

_He knows what they'll do to her, and pleads with her to come to him, but to no avail. The two men laugh and walk away with Shayla, knowing Danny won't dare shoot at them when there's a chance she'll be hit._

"_Noooo! Shayla!"_

"No!" He bolted straight up in bed, sweat pouring into his eyes as he gasped for air.

Maddie moved with him as best she could, slipping her arms around him in a soothing embrace. "It's okay, Danny," she told him quietly. "It was just a dream."

He shook his head emphatically. "No, it wasn't just a dream. All those horrible things I did were not just dreams. I did them…_willingly_…and they're driving Shayla away…"

He turned to her, defeated, allowing her to pull him back down on the bed. She held him tightly, running her fingers through his hair as he laid his head against her chest and cried.


	9. What's In A Name?

A/N: Woah! My apologies for the long absence! Who knew teachers actually got busier _after_ school was out? My poor beta (who is also a teacher) and I have both been running around trying to take care of all the things we put off during the school year, leading to the neglect of my writing. But no more! Here's the next section for you, and I promise to have more in the next few days :-D

* * *

"Don't you people have work to do?" 

Mac stood in the doorway of one of the conference rooms in a little-used corner of the lab watching his colleagues prepare for the baby shower they were throwing for Maddie. The tone of his voice was that of an annoyed boss, but the twinkle in his eye was unmistakable.

Aiden, visiting the city during her mid-semester break, smirked back at him as she hung the "It's A Girl" banner across the front of the room. "Nope, no work to do today—I'm off the rest of the week."

His smile widened in return. "I could find something for you…"

"You just wait until we throw one of these for you and Stella," she teased back. "Then you won't be trying to distract me."

"Let's not jump the gun here, Aiden," Stella cautioned with a chuckle, hanging pink crepe paper from her place on the stepladder.

"You've been dating for almost a year now…"

"We're taking things slowly," Stella winked. "I don't want to scare poor Mac away!"

Mac grinned, wanting to kiss her right there, but managing to control himself. "If I'm not scared of you by now, I never will be." He watched her smile back at him, the soft little smile that always settled on her lips when he said something cute to her, and felt his resolve melting away. He sighed internally and managed to tear his eyes away from her when he was suddenly sideswiped by a cushiony chair. "Whoa…"

"Sorry boss," Sheldon apologized as he and Don carried the piece of furniture into the conference room. "I yelled 'heads up' but I guess you didn't hear me."

"Isn't that one of the chairs from my office?"

Don nodded. "For Maddie. She's eight months along, Mac. She can't sit in one of those hard plastic things."

They set the chair down near one of the large windows and stood, both stretching simultaneously.

"You act like that was hard work," Aiden commented from her perch.

"A lot harder than holding up a little plastic banner," Don quipped with a smirk. He walked over to her and snaked his arm around her waist, half-picking her up as he helped her down off the table she had been standing on. "Now come on, there's a bunch more of those girly little things in Mac's office."

She flashed him a silly grin, noticing the way his hand lingered on the small of her back just a bit longer than necessary. "And you're gonna have fun hangin' 'em up, too…"

Sheldon laughed at the pair as they headed down the hall, and was still smiling when his phone chirped. Pulling it from the clip on his belt, he glanced at the text on the display and his smile changed slightly.

"Must be Sarah," Mac noted.

The doctor blushed a little and nodded. "She's downstairs with the food." Still grinning, he moved quickly out the door to meet his girlfriend.

That left Mac and Stella alone together. Their eyes met across the room and they shared a look, the one that Stella called the "I love you" look. He took a step toward her and opened his mouth to say something, his blue eyes sparkling brightly, but was interrupted by his own phone ringing.

Pressing his lips together, he pulled it out and pushed the talk button. "Detective Taylor…mmhmm…okay, I'll be right there."

"Got a call?" Stella asked going back to her pink crepe paper.

Mac shook his head. "No. Dantrell's here."

"Oh good!" she exclaimed. "He's bringing the cake…"

Thirty minutes later, the conference room had been complete transformed into _the_ place to celebrate a new life. Sarah had prepared a rather substantial banquet, topped off by the cake Dantrell's grandmother had baked and decorated so carefully. Balloons accented the crepe paper and "It's A Girl" streamers that hung along the walls, and little pink knit hats served as centerpieces on the tables. Even the chair borrowed from Mac's office had been decked out, covered in pink ribbons and a sign that marked it as the property of "The Mother".

"Incoming!" Danny's voice called from the end of the hallway.

Aiden snorted. "That was subtle, Messer," she muttered under her breath. She tied the last streamer and scrambled down off the stepladder, gathering with her former colleagues near the door.

"What's going on here?" they heard Maddie ask.

"Don't peek," Danny answered, reaching over and covering her eyes.

"Just hold my hand," Shayla instructed, leading her foster mother into the room.

The little procession halted just inside the doorway and Shayla let go of Maddie's hand, prompting Danny to pull his hands away from her eyes.

Nine strong voices greeted her. "Surprise!"

"Oh wow!" she gasped, taking in the decorations, the food, and the pinkness of the room. "You guys did all this for us?"

"It isn't every day we get to welcome a new CSI to the family," Sheldon smiled.

"Or a new Messer, for that matter," Aiden joked.

Maddie made the rounds, hugging everyone who had worked so hard to put the shower together, before allowing Danny to escort her to her special chair. The little group ate and laughed and talked, cracking jokes when Maddie opened the gifts as the DNA building blocks, build-your-own-atom sets, and toy badges piled up beside the baby clothes and packages of diapers.

"This kid's gonna absolutely hate science," Don laughed, surveying the toys. "And the NYPD."

"Not with Uncle Don and Uncle Sheldon to show her all the fun things," Maddie grinned.

"…and Grandpa Taylor," Mac added with a half-smile.

"Grandpa Taylor?" Danny asked in his what-the-hell-are-you-talking-about voice. "Mac, you're gonna be the coolest uncle she has. Who else can she play dress-up with in fatigues and camouflage face paint?"

Stella laughed. "I can see it now…Mac explaining to a tiny baby girl how to disassemble a rifle and put it back together in thirty seconds or less."

"Tiny baby girl, eh?" Sarah wondered out loud. "Haven't you picked out a name yet?"

Danny and Maddie shared a smile, communicating without words as they so often did. "Yeah," Maddie replied, turning back to Sarah. "We did."

"She's going to be Caroline Ann," Danny continued.

"'Caroline' for Danny's mother…" Maddie said softly.

"And 'Ann' for Maddie's," he finished.

"Are you going to call her 'Carol' for short?" Don asked. "I had a girlfriend named Carol once…"

Aiden swatted him—only half playfully—and looked expectantly at her two friends. "You're not calling her 'Carol', right?"

Maddie laughed. "No. Shayla started calling her 'Carrie' right after we decided on 'Caroline', and it stuck."

"'Carrie', huh?" Sheldon remarked. "I pity her prom date already."

Shayla giggled. "You wanna pity someone's prom date? Pity the boy that takes me…"

"…who has to answer to your foster father, the NYPD detective," Mac finished with a wink. "That should be an interesting night."

"Just picture him interrogating the poor kid when he arrives," Stella chuckled. "I bet Danny brings him down to the nearest precinct and everything…"

Shayla glanced over at Danny, a mix of emotions playing across her face. She had come home after the night spent at Stella's, but was still uneasy around him and had avoided contact with him at every opportunity. Mac had been right when he told her that she wouldn't look at Danny the same way, but also that he had told her about his past because he loved her. A part of her still loved him, too, still remembered how wonderful he had been to her right from the day they met. But Shayla had closed that part of her heart off when she found out about his family, trying to protect herself from being hurt yet again in her young life.

She wondered, as she studied his face there in the middle of the baby shower, if he really was trying to do right by her, if he really was just trying to be honest with her. She wondered if he really had left his old life behind to start over, to make himself into a good man, a good husband and father.

And she wondered if she would ever allow herself to love him again.



Maddie walked slowly—she refused to admit she waddled—from the sign-in window to the bank of chairs where Shayla sat in the waiting room. "You've spent so much time here, you're going to be an expert on pregnancy before you have your own kids," she teased her foster daughter.

The girl only nodded absently, her attention drawn to the doorway where Danny had just entered the small doctor's office.

"Hey babe," he grinned, kissing his wife tenderly and caressing the baby. When he pulled back, he reached tentatively for Shayla and squeezed her shoulder. "Hey sweetheart."

She smiled half-heartedly at him. "Hey," she answered back quietly, suppressing the urge to jerk away from his touch.

The nurse returned to the window and called Maddie's name, breaking the moment before it stretched beyond awkwardness. "Mrs. Messer? We're ready for you now."

The family moved together back to the exam room where Danny carefully helped Maddie up onto the table. "The jury came back just before I left the courthouse today," he told her in a low voice when the nurse had left.

She knew without asking that he was referring to his father's murder trial alongside Michael Sassone. "Yeah?"

The expression on his face was a mixture of relief and shame. "Guilty on all counts."

She blew out a breath and nodded. "Good."

"He turned around and looked at me after they read the verdict," he continued, his lips curling into a heavy frown, "and just shook his head. He said 'my own son'."

Maddie took his hand in hers in a wordless gesture of reassurance, her bright blue eyes telling him he had done the right thing despite what his father might think.

Danny pressed his lips together and shook his head

Shayla stood on the other side of the small room watching the scene unfold before her, trying to keep her head from spinning. _He really _did_ testify against the mafia…against his father…_

Her thoughts were interrupted by the doctor knocking on the door. "Ready for me?" he asked lightly.

"Come on in, Doc," Danny answered.

The doctor made his way into the room and went through a quick preliminary examination of Maddie, checking her blood pressure, heart sounds, and the size and position of the baby. "So far so good," he smiled. "Shall we take a look?"

The mother-to-be grinned. "Absolutely."

Shayla moved across the room, standing across the exam table from Danny and squeezing Maddie's hand in anticipation. This was the last look they would get of little Carrie before she was born.

The doctor wheeled the ultrasound cart over and lifted Maddie's shirt, squirting the familiar cold gel onto her abdomen. He turned the machine on and planted the wand in the goo, maneuvering it around to look at the baby from various angles.

"She looks so crowded in there," Shayla commented. "Does she have enough room?"

The doctor smiled again. "Yeah, but it's getting tight. And there's still a month or so left before she's due."

"She's so small," Danny added softly.

This time the doctor shook his head. "Actually, she's a little over four pounds, which is right where she should be. At this point in the pregnancy, she can be delivered at any time and still have an excellent chance at survival."

Maddie and Danny shared a look of relief and thankfulness. They knew their baby wasn't out of the woods yet, but the doctor's words lifted some of the weight from their shoulders.

"Hmm," he continued, furrowing his brow as he flipped a switch and listened to the baby's heartbeat. "Heart rate's a little low…" He paused to listen for a minute more as he studied the monitor, then shook his head again. "Not too low, though. No worries, just something to keep an eye on."

"You're sure?" Maddie asked anxiously.

He nodded. "Yep. Just pay attention to her movements…if she starts moving less than she usually does, you'll need to come in right away. But otherwise, I'll see you in a week."

They bid the doctor good-bye, and Shayla could see the fear in her foster parents' eyes. She saw something else, too, when Danny looked over at her: love. No matter what happened with little Carrie, with his family, with _anything_, he loved her like his own child.

She kept silent until they left the building, then she stopped walking and cleared her throat. "Um, can we talk for a minute, just the three of us, before we split up for the rest of the day?"

"Of course, honey, what is it?" Maddie asked.

Danny's face was a mask of nervousness as he nodded along. He knew what was coming.

Shayla took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I've been acting like a child lately, and I want to apologize for it." She turned toward Danny and dropped her gaze, too ashamed to look him in the eye. "You told me about a very sensitive part of your past because you love me enough to want me to know the truth. I know how hard that is—there are things I've done and seen that I haven't told anybody because I know what people will think of me when they find out. But you told me anyway."

He reached out and brushed a hand lightly over her arm. "You deserve to know," he told her softly.

"And I want to know the rest," she continued, lifting her eyes to his. "If we're going to be a real family, we can't have any secrets."

"You're sure about that?" Maddie asked, knowing what it would do to Danny if Shayla got scared and left again.

The girl nodded. "It's time I start acting like an adult. We'll sit down after dinner tonight and talk it all out. You two will tell me all your secrets, and I'll tell you all of mine. We won't judge each other, we won't run away…we'll just listen."

Maddie looked at Danny and raised her eyebrows questioningly at him. _What do you think?_

"I think that's a good idea," he said aloud. "I'm tired of keeping secrets."

Shayla nodded again. "Me too."

She turned and began walking again, her foster parents taking up position on either side of her. She took Maddie's hand in hers, smiling at her foster mother, then carefully slipped her other hand in Danny's. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, surprised by the action. She squeezed his fingers in response, her brown eyes full of determination, along with apprehension and fear in anticipation both of what she would hear and what she would say.

He squeezed back and smiled gently, the same smile he gave her whenever something was out of whack in her life, the one that said "everything will be alright".

And she knew it would be.


	10. Sweet Child O' Mine

A/N: See? I am getting quicker ;-) Grab some tissues for this one, though...you're gonna need 'em!

* * *

"Ready?" Danny called into Shayla's bedroom. "We're gonna be late if we don't leave now…"

She appeared in the hallway moments later, fussing about her dress as she tied the end of her braid. "I'm coming."

"What's the matter?" Maddie asked, noting the unhappy expression on her foster daughter's face.

Shayla shook her head. "Nothing really. I just don't like courtrooms…I've spent too much time in them, and none of those memories are happy ones."

"I know the feeling," Danny told her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and squeezing her affectionately. "But we'll change that today, huh?"

The girl smiled. "Yeah."

The apprehension returned for both foster father and daughter when they arrived at the courthouse.

_But if we can get through that mess about our pasts, we can get though anything_, Shayla thought, remembering the long night she had spent talking with her foster parents. Glancing over at Danny, she knew he was thinking the same thing.

They found the courtroom they were scheduled to appear in and entered when the judge called for a ten minute recess. Maddie sat down quickly in one of the rows, her hand resting on her abdomen.

"You okay, babe?" Danny asked.

"I'm nine months pregnant," she answered with a weary smile. "I'm huge, I'm exhausted, I'm swollen all over, I'm achy, and I haven't slept in three months…I'm miserable." Then she laughed lightly. "But it's such a good feeling."

Shayla sat down beside her and rubbed a hand over the baby. "And not too much longer now, either, before you won't be pregnant anymore."

That brought smiles to the two adults' faces, and they shared a look over their foster daughter's head. _Not too much longer…_

The three sat together for a few minutes before the judge returned to the bench and began the next case. Danny rested his arm along the back of the wooden bench, brushing against Shayla's shoulders, his hand finding the back of Maddie's neck. He noticed the uncomfortable look returning to Shayla's face and leaned over to her.

"You sure you want to do this?" he asked quietly.

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Even though you're going to be eighteen in a couple of months?"

She nodded again. "Yeah."

He dropped his voice even lower. "Even after everything I told you about my past?"

She looked him in the eye and replied, "Do you still want me after everything _I_ told _you_ about _my_ past?'

"Of course," he responded without hesitation.

Shayla smiled. "Then we're good."

"Next case?" the judge called from the bench.

"Adoption Petition for Shayla Green," the Court Services Officer said, pulling the file and handing it to her.

The judge smiled. "It's good to see you again, Shayla, especially under happier circumstances."

"Much happier circumstances," the girl agreed with a grin as she moved toward the front of the courtroom with her foster parents.

"I see all the appropriate interviews have been conducted," the judge continued, glancing over the case file, "with family members and co-workers. The home study was completed satisfactorily, the application was granted, and all other paperwork is in order." She looked at the little family standing before her and her smile widened. "I guess that means there's only one thing left to do…"

Shayla grinned excitedly, taking the hands of Danny and Maddie as she sat between them, noticing briefly that Maddie's other hand was still gripping the baby. _She must be kicking again…she's been doing that all day…_

The judge pulled out a pen and signed the adoption petition with a flourish. "It is my great pleasure to approve the adoption of Shayla Green by Daniel and Madeline Messer. The adoption decree will also reflect a name change for the minor child, who will now legally be known as Shayla Janeé Messer."

Smiles permeated the courtroom, and the stenographer even wiped a tear from her eye.

"This is the best part of my job," the judge told them with a chuckle. "Congratulations!"

The three Messers rose from their seats and began to reply, but Maddie abruptly sat back down and doubled over.

"Maddie!" Danny shouted, images of Adam's miscarriage immediately flashing into his mind.

She waived him off, scrunching her face up and breathing in short gasps. "I'm okay," she insisted. "It's just a contraction."

"A contraction?" Shayla asked. "How long have you been having contractions?"

"Since this morning," Maddie replied through tight lips. "This one's just a _little_ stronger…"

The Court Services Officer was already on the phone when the judge instructed him to call 9-1-1. "There's another contraction…tell 'em to come quick, or this baby's gonna be born right here!"



Maddie pushed as hard as she could, crying out in pain and frustration as she tried to focus on Danny and the baby.

"She's almost here," Danny told her, supporting her shoulders with his strong arm as she lay in a hospital bed in the delivery room. "You can do this…she's almost here babe…"

Maddie pushed harder, digging way down deep and finding strength she didn't even know she had. A dull groan escaped her throat as she struggled to give birth, and the beeping of the fetal heart monitor began to slow.

"Fetal heart rate is 110 beats per minute," a nurse observed.

The doctor read the fear in his patient's eyes. "Nothing to worry about…that's a little low, but she's okay…ready to push again?"

Maddie gritted her teeth and pushed with the contraction, squeezing Danny's hand in hers, drawing strength from his touch.

"Heart rate's 100, doctor," the nurse said steadily.

"Get the vacuum extractor," he told her. The words triggered a panicked look from both Maddie and Danny, and the doctor tried to be reassuring. "Your baby might need a little help being born, that's all. She's still doing okay."

Another contraction hit and Maddie pushed again, crushing Danny's hand in hers.

"Rate's down to 90," the nurse called, concern starting to creep into her voice.

"Where's the extractor?" the doctor replied, his tone quickly becoming urgent. "This baby needs to be born _right now_." A second nurse slapped the contraption into his hands and he quickly inserted it and attached it to the baby, flipping the switch to turn the pump on. "Here's another contraction, Maddie…this machine is going to help pull your baby out, but I need you to push one more time…give me everything you've got…"

She bore down, her face contorting with pain as she felt the baby being wrenched from her body. Taking a breath, she continued to push as hard as she could, concentrating on her husband's encouraging words.

"That's it, babe, you can do this…you're the strongest person I know…she's almost here, our little girl is almost here…"

"Okay, stop pushing," the doctor told her. "Stop pushing…I've got her now…"

Maddie stopped as instructed and held her breath in tense anticipation. Her blue eyes found Danny's and together they waited, not knowing if they were about to experience the joys of parenthood or the grief of losing another child.

Danny shifted his gaze to watch as his daughter was delivered, his eyes now trained on the tiny baby in search of a sign—any sign—that would let him know if she was okay. The doctor removed the vacuum extractor, cutting the umbilical cord quickly and handed the child off to a waiting nurse, who wrapped her in a towel and whisked her away to the other side of the delivery room.

"Danny?" Maddie asked, begging to know what was happening.

He shook his head a little, his eyes wide and still unknowing, watching a second doctor join the nurses as they worked on the baby, his lips pressed together as he, too, held his breath.

Then little Carrie cried.

The sound filled the delivery room, loud and energetic, making the hospital staff grin cheerfully. They finished cleaning her up and brought her over to her anxious parents swathed in a bright pink blanket, complete with matching knit cap.

"Here she is," the lead nurse smiled happily. "Her oxygen level is a little low, so we'll get a mask on her for a while, but she's gonna be just fine. Congratulations." She laid the baby on Maddie's chest and moved away so the family could celebrate together, her smile widening at the happiness written on the new parents' faces.

The tears were already running down Danny's cheeks as he leaned down to kiss his little girl. "You made it darlin'," he whispered. "You made it."

Upon hearing his words, Maddie finally began to breathe again, sucking air into her lungs and letting it out in harsh gasps, her emotions overtaking her. Tears matching Danny's poured from her eyes and she wept with all the fear and anguish and heartache she had been carrying around with her for the duration of the pregnancy. She buried her face in his chest and sobbed as she held their baby girl, who had arrived safely in the world at last.



When things had calmed down and the doctor was sure that both Maddie and Carrie were okay, he gave permission for visitors to enter the room. Shayla led Mac, Stella, Don, Sheldon, Sarah, and Dantrell through the door, making a beeline for Maddie and throwing her arms around her mother.

"You're okay?" the girl asked, having heard about the dramatic delivery. "You're both really okay?"

Maddie smiled as she returned the hug. "We're fine," she promised. "Wanna see her?"

Danny picked little Carrie up so carefully from her incubator, his large hand supporting her head as he maneuvered her into his arms and cradled her gently.

"Here she is," he called, echoing the nurse's earlier words as he grinned proudly.

The boys all looked at Danny, then the baby, and back to Danny again, trying to comprehend the fact that one of their own—and, before he met Maddie, the least responsible of the bunch—actually had a child. Stella and Sarah noticed, exchanging glanced and giggling.

"She's beautiful, Danny," Stella told him. "And the low oxygen level isn't a problem?"

He shook his head, the relief he had felt just after the delivery flooding back. "She's needs to go back on the oxygen mask in a few minutes, but that won't be a long-term thing. Other than that, she's perfect."

"Can I hold her?" she asked eagerly.

"Of course," he smiled. "But not until Shayla gets to." He made his way over to his oldest daughter and pulled the blanket back a little further away from the baby's face. "Shayla Messer, I'd like you to meet Carrie Messer."

Shayla settled herself in the rocking chair near Maddie's bed and happily took little Carrie from her father. "Hey there sweetie," she whispered, "I'm your big sister."

A collective "awww" rose from the CSIs, and Shayla could see Don pulling out his cell phone to snap a picture.

"Smile big for Auntie Aiden," he chuckled, lining up the shot.

Carrie's little pink tongue poked out of her mouth at that moment and Maddie laughed. "That's one trait of Danny's she inherited already…licking her lips all the time."

Don snorted. "Aiden's gonna love that."

Shayla sat with her sister for a few minutes more, then reluctantly passed her off to Stella, whose smile brightened instantly.

"Hi sweetheart," she cooed. "Aren't you just darling?"

Mac gazed at her, trying not to be too obvious even after a year of dating, trying to hide his emotions the way he always did. _Stella's going to make a wonderful mother_, he thought, watching her bouncy curls sway with every shake of her head. _She's so comfortable with children…I'll have to work on that._

Not ten seconds later, Stella was handing Carrie to him, helping him settle her in his arms. His eyes widened and he immediately became nervous, more nervous than he had been even as a young Marine before he saw his first combat action. Then it was only himself he had to worry about, but now there was a whole other life in his hands.

"Wow," he breathed. "I feel so…"

"Trilled?" Sheldon filled in.

"Excited?" Don added.

"Happy?" Sarah chimed in.

Mac shook his head. "Responsible," he finished. Then, looking over at Danny, he asked, "How are you going to do this fatherhood thing? This is a big deal!"

Danny laughed. "Yes it is. And I have a wonderful wife and daughter who will make sure I don't screw up too badly."

Little Carrie made the rounds of the rest of the group before Don relented and brought her back over to Maddie. He kissed the baby softly on the forehead before handing her back to her mother with a smile. "Congratulations," he told her, planting a kiss on Maddie's cheek, too.

She brushed a hand affectionately over his face, returning his smile. "Thanks Don."

The Messers bid their friends good-bye and grudgingly placed Carrie back in the incubator, putting the little oxygen tubes in her nose the way the nurses had showed them. Shayla moved her chair next to her sister, allowing Danny room to sit on the bed beside Maddie.

"What a day!" the new mother exclaimed tiredly.

Shayla grinned. "Two kids in one day…you guys were busy," she teased.

"And extraordinarily lucky," Danny decided.

"Blessed," Maddie agreed, laying her head against her husband's chest as she watched her two daughters together. "Very blessed."


	11. Daughters

AN: I'm on a roll, now ;-) Here's a little family fluff for you, with more still to come!

* * *

Maddie sat alone in her hospital room, cradling little Carrie in her arms as she rocked gently in the rocking chair. She studied the baby's face, taking in every detail her large blue eyes fringed by long dark lashes, her tiny button nose, her ruby red lips from which her pink tongue intermittently poked out. The new mother smiled when the tongue emerged again, brushing her index finger along the silky softness of Carrie's cheek, thanking God for the millionth time since the birth that she was okay.

She leaned down and kissed her daughter gently, continuing to rock slowly and just hold her, never taking her eyes off what truly was a little bundle of joy.

"Hey babe," Danny grinned as he entered the room, striding quickly over to his wife and kissing her happily. "And hey baby girl," he greeted Carrie, pressing his lips tenderly to her little forehead. "How are we doin' this afternoon?"

Maddie's smile widened. "She's doing better…heart rate's normal, oxygen level's close to normal, and her breathing is getting easier, too."

"Good," he replied, relieved. "Any chance we can take her home today?"

She shook her head and sighed. "I wish we could, but the doctor says she needs a few more days in the incubator with the oxygen mask, just to be on the safe side."

He nodded his head. "Then we'll be safe. No sense messin' around with her health."

"Exactly." She looked back down at the creature in her arms and smiled again, feeling tears form in her eyes. "Look at her, Danny…she's…"

"…beautiful," he finished, kneeling down beside the rocking chair. "Just like her mother."

Carrie reached out a tiny fist, searching for something to grab onto. Danny laid a hand on her stomach, just wanting to touch her again to make sure he wasn't dreaming, and her little fingers wrapped themselves around one of his. She squeezed as tightly as her day-old muscles would allow and Danny melted.

"She's quite the charmer, too," Maddie smiled, wiping at her tears. "Just like her father." She shifted positions in the chair and handed the baby to him. "Here—I got to hold her for nine months. Why don't you hold her for a while?"

His grin returned as he took Carrie carefully from his wife and rose, his eyes riveted to his daughter.

Maddie slowly pulled herself from the rocker despite Danny's protests, and crept a few feet to a softer chair that would be easier on her battered body. She watched her husband situate himself in the vacant rocking chair, adjusting the blanket Carrie was wrapped in and settling the baby in his arms, and discovered more tears pooling in her eyes.

Hearing her sniffle, he glanced up and caught the expression on her face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she shook her head, wiping at her eyes. "My wonderful husband is holding our healthy baby girl…" She sniffled again and laughed, brushing a few more tears from her cheeks. "…and my hormones are all over the place…"

Danny chuckled. "I know."

She leaned across the empty space between them and swatted his knee. "Next time, _you're_ the one who's getting pregnant."

He grimaced, remembering the aches and pains, the mood swings, the hot flashes, the swollen feet and hands, the fatigue, the contractions, and the traumatic birth he had witnessed. Then his eyes met Carrie's and he smiled again, winking at her. "Mommy's funny, isn't she?"

Only a few minutes later, the doctor appeared to do one final exam and sign Maddie's discharge papers. Finding everything satisfactory, he handed her some medical literature on postpartum care for her body and wished them good luck.

Danny remained seated in the rocking chair with little Carrie as Maddie climbed out of her hospital bed for the last time and carefully walked to the bathroom to change into the street clothes he had brought for her. It took ages for her to cover the short distance, and he started to get up to help her.

Maddie waved him back down in the rocker. "I'm okay, just a little sore."

"You sure you don't need some help?" he asked, torn between assisting his wife and holding his daughter for a few minutes more.

"Nope, I got it. Besides, you'll have three or four days to carry me around the house before our little girl comes home. Sit with her."

It took her some time, but eventually Maddie got herself dressed and ready to go. When she began to gather her things together, though, Danny stopped her.

"I'll do that," he insisted, handing Carrie back to her. "You just sit down and relax."

They exchanged places, Maddie lowering herself into the rocking chair and taking the baby while Danny moved around the room packing her belongings. He rang the call button one last time, signaling one of the nurses to come for Carrie.

"All set?" the nurse asked as she entered the room.

Maddie nodded. "I think so." She leaned down and kissed her daughter, willing the tears not to flow again.

Danny slid his arm around her and brushed a hand over the baby's head, smoothing her already thick, dark hair. "Bye darlin'," he told her softly, his voice cracking a little. "You'll be comin' home soon, and we'll be here every day to visit until you do."

He helped Maddie out of the chair and kissed their baby, smiling as his wife hugged her gently and kissed her, too. The nurse stepped forward and took Carrie from her parents, holding her for a moment for the last few good-byes.

"We'll take good care of her," the nurse promised with a smile.

Maddie nodded, her eyes watery. "I know."

"And we'll be back tomorrow to see her," Danny added, clearing his throat.

The nurse smiled again and nodded, laying Carrie in a portable incubator and wheeling her out of the room toward the nursery.

The new parents stood and watched her go for a moment before Danny wrapped his arm around his wife and led her out the door, turning in the opposite direction their daughter had just gone.

"She'll be okay," he told her, trying to convince himself as much as Maddie. "And Shayla's waiting at home for you."

That made her smile. "Shayla _Messer_."

He kissed her hair as they walked, grinning happily. "Sounds good, doesn't it?"



"Well, here we are," Dantrell smiled as they reached the Messers' apartment building.

Shayla led him into the lobby and smiled back. "You sure you don't want to come up? Maddie would love to see you."

He shook his head. "No. If she's resting I don't want to disturb her. Besides, I'm over here so much anyway I'm surprised you guys aren't sick of me yet."

"Never!" Shayla laughed. "We would never get tired of having you around." Her gaze shifted off into the distance and a teasing twinkle shone in her eyes. "Then again, there was that one time…"

"Ha ha ha," he replied with a smirk. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

She patted his shoulder as he turned and left, then focused her attention on the bank of mailboxes along the wall. Finding the correct key on her key ring, she popped open the little door that was marked "Messer" and pulled out the pile of envelopes inside.

Shayla sorted the mail as she rode the elevator to her floor and entered her apartment.

"Shayla? That you?" Danny's voice called from the master bedroom.

"Yep," she called back, wandering down the hallway. Her parents' door was open, so she peeked her head inside. "I brought up the mail."

Maddie lay in bed propped up with several pillows, a chemistry book open in her lap, Danny stretched out on his side next to her.

"Hey sweetheart," she smiled. "How was school today?"

Shayla grinned. "I was the star attraction—everyone wanted to know how you and Carrie were doing."

Danny laughed proudly. "Did you tell 'em their perfect?"

"Actually, yeah," Shayla nodded. "I did." She plopped down on the foot of the bed, keeping two large envelopes and tossing the rest of the mail to her father. "And I was instructed to bring pictures tomorrow…or else."

The two adults chuckled at that, a similar threat having been issued to Danny from the Crime Lab personnel.

They chatted a few minutes more, listening to Shayla detail the rest of her day at school and describing the happenings at home and at the lab. Every few seconds Maddie would glance over at the two envelopes her daughter held, her eyes flickering up to the young face with curiosity.

Finally, Maddie couldn't take any more suspense. "Honey, aren't you going to open your mail?"

Shayla glanced down at the large envelopes, her smile wavering. "They're both from colleges I applied to."

"But they're both big…big means you got in, right?" Danny grinned.

Shayla giggled. "That's what they say."

"Well, open 'em up and find out!"

She laughed again and tore into the first envelope, pulling out a cover letter with a blue and gold seal printed on the top, scanning the page nervously.

"Well?" Maddie prompted.

"'Dear Ms. Green'," Shayla read, not even noticing the use of her recently discarded name. "'We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to the University of Michigan…'"

"Aaahhh!" Maddie squealed, leaning forward and throwing her arms out in spite of the textbook still in her lap.

"Wait, there's still one more…" Shayla reminded her, her smile becoming more confident. She ripped open the second envelope with gusto and removed its cover letter. Her eyes flashed over the orange and blue logo imprinted at the top and searched for the magic words. "'…the University of Virginia would like to welcome you…"

She didn't get any further. "You got in to both schools!" Danny exclaimed, springing up from the bed to join in the hugging.

Shayla laughed and wrapped her arms around her parents. "I got in to both schools!" she echoed in disbelief.

"We'll add these to the letter you got from City College," Maddie grinned, kissing her daughter on the forehead.

"…and wait for the one from NYU," Danny grinned, squeezing her tightly before releasing her.

"We don't know they're gonna let me in," Shayla cautioned.

Danny's smile softened as he took her hand in his. "I know, I know…we'll have to wait and see. But I'm proud of you no matter what NYU says."

The smile she beamed back at her parents was the best thank you she could give them. Then she quickly broke the sentimental moment. "I have to call Dantrell…"

Kissing Maddie and Danny, she bounced off the bed and danced into the kitchen looking for the phone.



"Now you're sure you don't mind having the crib in your room?" Maddie asked her oldest daughter as the girl carried her little sister into the apartment building.

Shayla shook her head. "Of course not. There's no room in that little bedroom of yours, and I'm more than happy to share."

"She'll be waking up ever couple of hours," Danny added, tightening his arm around his still-sore wife as he helped her walk, "so you won't be getting much sleep. Maddie or I will come take care of her, but she's gonna wake you up."

"There's only a couple more months until school's out, and it won't matter how many times I wake up in the night during the summer." She gazed down at the baby in her arms and smiled. "Besides, I'm her big sister. It's my job to help look after her, and I'm happy to do it."

That night she got her chance. Carrie awoke in the wee small hours of the morning, fussing but not yet crying, her tiny fists balled up in frustration. Lying in her bed ten feet away, Shayla heard the baby moving and blinked open her eyes, keeping still to see if she might go back to sleep on her own.

Carrie began to whimper, but Shayla continued to wait. She had been instructed by her parents to try to get as much sleep as possible and to let them worry about the baby, so she squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face in her pillow. The whimpering transitioned into the beginning stages of crying and Shayla climbed out of bed, turning on the small lamp on her nightstand. Maddie and Danny had already each been up twice that night, and there was no reason either of them should be disturbed again. She padded softly over to the crib and pulled the blanked back from Carrie's face.

"Hey darlin'," she grinned, using the term of endearment Danny had reserved for his youngest daughter. "What's the matter?"

Carrie's eyes squinted in the new light and the crying receded for a moment, but her little hands were still clenched and her feet kicked in aggravation. Her face scrunched up and she took a breath, getting ready to turn on the tears for real.

Shayla slipped a hand inside the crib, caressing the baby and brushing a strand of her thick hair from her forehead. Carefully, she lifted Carrie from the crib and checked her over, looking for anything that might have made her uncomfortable. Finding nothing, she decided her sister was probably hungry and quietly carried her into the kitchen in search of a bottle.

A few minutes later, Shayla seated herself in the rocking chair Dantrell had built so lovingly, rocking gently in the silent living room as she held her sister. The baby drank eagerly, her hands patting the bottle occasionally as she stared up, eyes fixed on Shayla.

"That better darlin'?" she asked. "A little food and a little family always make me feel better, too."

As if in response, Carrie reached out and patted the bottle again, this time grasping onto one of Shayla's fingers and holding on.

Shayla leaned down and kissed her little sister, smiling softly. "I love you, too."


	12. Protect and Serve

A/N: We're getting near the end here--only a couple more chapters left after this one. I have ideas for a third story in the Maddie/Danny series, but interest seems to be lacking so I may not write it. If I did, it would be a big, all-encompassing story like _It Could Happen to You_ is, which means a lot of time and effort on my part, so I want to get a feel for the number of readers that might be willing to slog through it with me. PM or e-mail me, or just leave your thoughts in a review and let me know what you think either way :-D

* * *

Maddie stepped off the elevator into the lobby of the Crime Lab, followed closely behind by Sheldon as he carried the newest little bundle of Messer joy. She could hear him cooing softly at the baby and stole a glance out of the corner of her eye, catching him with an excited grin on his face as he brushed a lock of Carrie's dark hair from her forehead. _Sarah's a lucky woman_, she thought with a smile.

"Well, look who's here," a familiar voice called.

Maddie's eyes shifted from Sheldon to the speaker and her smile widened. "Marty Pino! What are you doing here?"

"Causing trouble probably," Sheldon quipped.

The current Medical Examiner chuckled at the former ME. "Of course," he answered. "I came by to try and ask Maddie out again, but," he nodded toward the baby in Sheldon's arms, "I see I'm a little too late."

She laughed. "Too late for me, yes, but my sister Liz has been asking about you periodically since the wedding."

He tried to hide the expression, but Marty's eyes brightened. "Yeah?"

Sheldon flashed a knowing smile. "Yeah."

"Then tell her she needs to come back out to visit," Marty grinned. "I'd love to show her around."

"Around your place," Maddie smirked.

The doctor smiled guiltily as he made his way toward the elevator, holding his hands up in a what-can-I-say? gesture.

"I'll just tell her you said 'hi'," she chuckled.

"That'll work," he returned. "You can throw my number into that conversation, too…"

Maddie shared a look with Sheldon as Marty disappeared into the elevator car. "Some people never change," she smiled.

Sheldon winked at her. "Danny did."

"We Parrish women have a strong effect on men," she replied lightly.

"You certainly do," Danny chimed in as he approached the lobby. "It's all in the way…" He paused and leaned in, brushing his lips warmly over hers before continuing, "…you kiss."

She kissed him back, her hand coming to rest on his chest, his arm snaking around her waist. Sheldon cleared his throat politely to signal the arrival of another player in the conversation, but the new member wasn't so gracious.

"Get a room," Stella teased.

Maddie blushed a bit and pulled away, laughing again when another voice came to the couple's defense.

"They're happy, Stella," Mac chided softly. "Let them be…as long as they don't contaminate my lab."

It was Danny's turn to laugh at his boss's comment, kissing his wife quickly one more time before turning around. "Don't worry, Mac. We won't do anything here that you haven't done."

"Good," the older detective replied, his voice trying to be firm even as the pink crept into his cheeks.

The little group collectively had the same thought at that moment, their eyes wide: _What has Mac done in the lab?_

Don's presence, all business and frowns, suddenly interrupted the friendly banter. "Hey guys, I got some bad news."

"What is it, Flack?" Mac asked, eager to shift the focus off of himself.

He didn't mince words in his reply. "Antwan Jones is gettin' out."

"Getting out?" Stella puzzled.

"Of Rikers?" Maddie added.

Sheldon furrowed his brow. "I thought he got a year…"

"…and it's only been six months," Danny finished, his eyes narrowing.

Don nodded. "He's gettin' out early for good behavior," he told them, spitting the words out like a bad taste in his mouth.

The elevator doors opened behind them just in time for the occupants to catch Don's comment.

"Who's getting out early?" Shayla asked, stepping into the lobby.

Dantrell, walking beside her, read the adults' faces and knew before anyone answered. "It's Antwan, isn't it? He's getting' out of jail."

Don nodded slowly. "In a coupla days."

The fear and anger were written plainly in the girl's eyes and Maddie quickly slid a reassuring arm around her daughter. "He is _not_ going to hurt you."

"We'll make sure of that," Danny told her.

Shayla looked from her parents to the CSIs to the homicide detective. "What about prom?" she asked. "I'm supposed to go with my friends…just us girls…Saturday night…"

"I already have a squad car on alert, if you want an escort," Don offered. "All you have to do is say the word."

She smiled weakly. "That would make an interesting arrival." She knew it wouldn't be enough for Maddie and Danny, though, and felt her senior prom slipping away.

"What about inside the dance?" Mac asked. "I'm sure the school will have security present, but will it be enough? Because unfortunately the NYPD can't spare officers to play bodyguard at a high school prom."

"They will have security," Maddie nodded. "But they'll mostly be concerned with drug and weapon searches at the door. They'll be watching the kids, too, but only in a broad sense to keep rival gangs from starting trouble. They won't really be looking for any one-on-one stuff."

Shayla sighed. "Then I guess I'm not going."

"Wait," Dantrell spoke up. "What if I go with you?"

She looked up at him curiously. "You're in the middle of finals in your junior year of college…you really want to go to a high school prom?"

He smiled a little as he answered and took her hand in his. "It's important to you, so yeah. I'll be your bodyguard some more and make sure you're safe and you have a good time." A twinkle appeared in his eyes as he continued, "And besides, I'll have three dates all at the same time."

She laughed and shoved him playfully. "Player."

Dantrell ignored the comment, instead turning his attention to Danny. "Is that all right with you, Detective Messer?"

Danny remembered the pact they had made at the precinct after Antwan's attack to protect Maddie and Shayla together, and the gratitude and appreciation in his expression answered the question better than his words. He knew she would be safe with Dantrell. "Yeah, I think that will work."



"Where's Danny?" Aiden asked after greeting Maddie in the doorway of the Messers' apartment.

"On duty," Maddie replied.

Aiden glanced at her watch, following Maddie into the entryway. "Still? Didn't he go in early this morning?"

Maddie nodded. "Yeah. He's working a double again."

"Again?" The suspicion in Aiden's voice came though loud and clear.

"Yeah," Maddie repeated, leading her friend into the living room where little Carrie was laying in her playpen. "He took two weeks paternity leave when the baby was born, and he's still trying to get caught up."

Aiden plopped down on the couch and blew out a breath. "Is his caseload that heavy?"

"It is," Maddie replied. "But he knows Shayla's here with me, so he doesn't feel so bad being away. And with you coming up to help out, I think he's trying to get some extra hours in. We certainly could use the money."

Aiden pursed her lips thoughtfully and nodded. "He's only been doin' it for a couple of weeks, right?"

"Mmhmm."

"That's why you're not worried yet."

Maddie nodded again. "Yeah. You know him as well as I do…if he's still burning the candle at both ends a couple _more_ weeks from now, then it's time to be concerned. But, for now at least, I think he likes the idea of working really hard all day long and coming home to his sleeping children."

Aiden smiled at that. "Awww."

"I know, right?" Maddie laughed.

"And he _is_ coming home to see Shayla off…"

"He better be," Shayla answered severely, slinking into the room in her deep purple prom dress.

Aiden laughed at her words, rising from the couch to help fix the gown. "I see assertiveness runs in the family."

Shayla flashed her a grin. "I guess it does." The door buzzer went off and the teenager froze. "That's Dantrell…"

"Relax," Maddie told her with a grin, moving to unlock the door and let the boy in. "Take a deep breath."

Shayla did as she was told, sucking in a lungful of air and letting it out slowly.

"Ready?"

She nodded.

"Okay." Maddie waited for the soft knock on the apartment door before swinging it open. Dantrell stood in the hall decked out in a black tuxedo, complete with a satiny vest and bowtie the same shade of purple as Shayla's dress. He took a step inside the apartment and caught sight of his date for the evening, stopping in his tracks.

"Wow," he breathed.

The comment settled her nerves immediately and she chuckled. "It's just me, Dantrell."

He made his way through the entryway and into the living room, tightly clutching the corsage he had brought for her in his large hands. "I've…I've never seen you all dressed up like that, that's all. You look beautiful."

"Thanks," she smiled. "You look pretty handsome yourself."

Maddie grabbed her camera and began taking pictures—pictures of Shayla alone, of Dantrell alone, of the two together, of Dantrell and Shayla with Carrie, of the exchange of corsage and boutonniere, and of everything else that went on. She was loading her third roll of film into the camera when the apartment door burst open.

"Did I miss it?" Danny asked, hurrying into the living room. "Did they leave yet?"

Aiden laughed. "You didn't miss anything except your wife taking more pictures than a crime scene photographer."

He grinned, sliding his arms around Shayla in a quick hug and shaking Dantrell's hand. "Good. I wanna see 'em all."

"How 'bout one more?" Aiden asked. "Of the whole family."

"Excellent idea," Maddie agreed.

Dantrell and Shayla looked at each other and giggled, rolling their eyes a little but complying with the request. Maddie and Danny took up position on either side of the couple, handing Carrie back to Shayla for the picture.

"Everybody say 'cheese'," Aiden called.

"Cheese!"

The camera flashed and the family relaxed, parents turning to children to say their good-byes for the evening. Maddie took Carrie back and Aiden helped Shayla straighten her dress, while Danny slung his arm around Dantrell's shoulders and led him a few steps away from the girls.

"What's he doing?" Shayla wondered.

"Being a dad," Maddie grinned.

Dantrell looked at Danny, his brown eyes meeting the detective's blue ones straight on. "So now it's time for the speech."

Danny smiled. "Normally you'd be right, but I'm not gonna give you any speeches this time. You don't need 'em. You care about Shayla as much as Maddie and I do, and I know you'll take good care of her tonight."

Dantrell smiled back, a little embarrassed but very proud at Danny's words.

"Just have a good time," Danny told him. He slapped the younger man on the back affectionately and released him. "You, too, sweetheart," he said, turning toward his daughter and kissing her on the cheek. "Have a good time."

"We will," she promised, kissing him back. Waiving good-bye to her mother and Aiden, she took Dantrell's arm and permitted him to escort her to the waiting patrol car.

The three adults stood there for a moment, holding the baby and staring at the closed apartment door.

Then Danny broke the silence. "I gotta go, too," he said. "There's a murder in Central Park with my name on it." He reached over and hugged Aiden. "Thanks for comin' over, Aid. Makes me feel better knowin' there's somebody here to help Maddie out."

"Are you kiddin' me?" she smirked. "You guys are my best friends…_and_ I get to play with this adorable baby all night."

She took Carrie from her mother and headed back into the living room, allowing Maddie to walk her husband to the door.

"What time are you getting out tonight?" she asked.

He sighed. "I'm _supposed_ to be off at midnight, but we'll see how busy tonight is."

"Okay," she nodded, leaning up to kiss him. "Be careful."

He kissed her back and brushed a strong hand over her face. "I will." He disappeared out the door, leaving Maddie alone in the entryway, whispering to no one.

"I love you."


	13. Part of the Job

A/N: Thanks to those of you that reviewed for the input on the third installment in the series! Although I feel like I'm begging for reviews, I'm gonna ask you to keep the opinions coming, on this story and the possible third one. There are only 2 chapters left after this one here, so ask yourself what life will be like in a week or so with no Maddie and Danny, and see how you react :-P

Anyway, some drama for you today. And when you read the description of Maddie's classroom when she returns from maternity leave, substitute spaghetti-noodle-and-marshmallow geometry projects for the glassware, and you have my classroom after I was out sick a few days last year. Ouch!

Enjoy!

* * *

"Hey beautiful," Sheldon smiled, sliding his arm around Sarah's waist as he bent down and kissed her neck. 

She stopped mid-task and grinned. "Hey yourself, handsome," she replied leaning back against him. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company at work?"

He turned her in his arms and pulled her closer, his lips brushing softly over hers. "I wanted to see you," he said, his smile taking on a dopey, love-struck quality.

Sarah laughed. "You are so cute," she told him, running her fingers along the back of his neck.

Sheldon's expression changed, becoming one of regret at her intimate touch. "I have some bad news, too…"

"You have to cancel our plans for tonight," she frowned. "Again?"

He nodded apologetically. "I got a new case today…"

"…on top of the other forty million cases you're already working…" she interjected bitterly.

His frown deepened, but he continued without responding to the remark. "…and I need to be at the lab working on it tonight."

"It can't wait until tomorrow?" Sarah wondered.

Sheldon shook his head. "Unfortunately no. I gotta do this tonight." He gazed down into her eyes, running a thumb gently over the soft skin of her cheek. "Come on, you know I'd rather be with you."

"But this is part of the job," she finished, echoing the explanation she'd heard many times before. "All right," she sighed. "Go catch some bad guys."

He kissed her again, hoping to express his love for her with the simple act, hoping she really did understand.



Maddie plopped down at her desk, heaving a tired sigh as she surveyed her empty classroom.

"What a mess," she said aloud. "I guess that's what happens when you go on maternity leave for six weeks."

Papers had been thrown on the back table haphazardly, unlabeled and unchecked by the substitute teacher, the books on her shelves had been badly vandalized, glassware from the lab stations had been broken and strewn all over the back of the room, items had been stolen from her desk and cabinets, and posters had been ripped from the walls and bulletin boards, replaced with profane graffiti.

"It looks like a tornado went through here."

Maddie swiveled in her chair and smiled wearily at the biology teacher from the room next door. "Yeah it does," she agreed, sighing again.

"You should have seen that sub," the biology teacher chuckled ruefully. "She did okay with your physics class, and the Chemistry kids weren't _too_ horrible, but those Basic Science classes of yours…"

"They're awful," she agreed. "Even to me, and most of them claim to like me."

"Well, I came in a few times and tried to put the fear of God in 'em," he grinned. "Settled 'em down for a few minutes anyway, but they won't be looking forward to having Mr. Logan in class any time soon."

"Thanks, Mike," she smiled, having heard his "fear of God" speeches through their adjoining wall many times in the past.

An hour later, the glass had been cleaned up, the torn posters stacked, and the books re-shelved.

"The rest can wait 'til tomorrow," Maddie declared. "Thanks for the help, Mike."

The biology teacher flashed her a smile. "Anytime."

She gathered her things together and headed out to the car, tossing her bag in the back and driving slowly home. Traffic was miserable, but mercifully she didn't have any stops to make or errands to run. Shayla and Dantrell had picked little Carrie up from daycare, and Danny was going to swing by the store on his way home from the lab.

"Hey Miss Parrish," Dantrell called cheerfully from the living room when Maddie pushed open her apartment door.

She smiled back. "Hey Dantrell. How're my girls doing today?"

"Carrie's been smiling all day," he replied grinning, "and Shayla got an…"

"…A on my English paper," Shayla finished, cutting off her friend with a laugh. "Danny called, though…"

"He's working a double again, isn't he?" Maddie answered flatly.

Shayla nodded. "He said he'd try to be home before we're asleep, but dinner's definitely out."

Maddie sighed for what seemed like the zillionth time that day. "Okay."

Dantrell and Shayla fixed dinner while Maddie spent some time with her youngest daughter, holding her as they rocked gently in the rocking chair, gazing into her deep blue eyes. Carrie's tongue poked out of her mouth, a trait she hadn't yet grown out of in her six weeks on earth, one that was so reminiscent of her father, and Maddie smiled. _I wonder if he's thinking about you right now_, she thought, kissing the baby's forehead.



_I wonder how my girls are doin'_, Danny thought wistfully, his mind wandering away from the microscope he was currently peering into. _How did Shayla do on her English paper? Does Carrie still do that thing with her tongue? How was Maddie's first day back at school? I bet it was brutal…I wish I was there to hold her…_

"Danny!"

Mac's voice cut through his daydream and he snapped back to reality, jerking his face away from the microscope. "Yeah Mac?"

"What's the matter with you? I called your name three times," the older detective asked, his voice stern. "If you can't concentrate on your job then you're useless to me."

Danny shook his head, clearing the remains of his reverie from his brain. "No, I'm good. Everything's fine…except these fibers. The one we recovered from the body doesn't match the one we got from the suspect's clothes."

He stepped aside and Mac leaned down to look for himself. When he straightened up, he glanced at Danny again and saw an emotion playing across his face that had nothing to do with the unmatched fibers, one that he had been quite familiar with in the past. "You were thinking about your family, weren't you?"

The younger CSI lowered his gaze and nodded almost imperceptibly. "Yeah."

"You've been working so much you haven't really seen them," Mac continued knowingly.

Danny nodded again. "Yeah."

"How long has it been since you and Maddie had a real conversation?" Mac asked gently.

Danny blew out a breath as he tried to recall the last time he talked to—_really_ talked to—his wife. "About a week, I guess."

Mac shook his head. "That's no way to live, Danny, and you know it. Why don't you take a few minutes and call home. It'll clear your head and you'll be able to concentrate again."

"Thanks Mac."

The older CSI nodded and slipped out of the lab, leaving Danny alone with his cell phone which he pulled out of his pocket and flipped open. Mashing the speed dial button for home, he stripped his lab coat off and wandered down the hallway in search of some privacy.

"Hello?"

Maddie's voice was clear and crisp, and he smiled at the sound. "Hey babe, it's me."

"Danny…" Her tone changed in a way he couldn't quite place. She almost sounded disappointed.

_Was her day that bad?_ he wondered, feeling guilty for not being there. "Yeah. I was just callin' to check up on my girls."

She smiled softly at that, knowing that "girls", when Danny used the term, included her. "We're good," she told him. "Shayla got an A on her English paper…"

"That's great!"

Maddie's smile grew. "Yeah, she's pretty excited about it. And Carrie's been smiling and cooing all day…"

"Has she been doin' that thing with her tongue?"

She laughed. "A couple of times since I've been home. Oh, Danny, you should see her…" Her voice caught and she stopped momentarily to collect herself.

Danny knew what she was doing and the feeling of guilt began to swell inside him. He decided to try changing the subject. "How was your first day back at school?"

Wrong move.

"Errrr," she growled through gritted teeth. "It was _bad_."

He winced. "I'm sorry, Maddie…"

"They destroyed my room, Danny," she told him, and he could hear the tears in her voice. "They were horrendous the whole time I was gone…the sub swears she'll never teach here again…and they didn't see a single thing wrong with any of the things they did…"

His fingers tightened around the phone and he fought the urge to punch the wall he was leaning against. "I'm sorry," he repeated, not knowing what else to say.

"Come home," Maddie pleaded. "Come home early tonight, Danny, and see your family…see me. Shayla misses you, little Carrie knows Dantrell better than her own father…and I need you so much…"

He cleared his throat gruffly. "You know I can't do that," he whispered.

"You can," she insisted. "Tell Mac it's an emergency, tell him it's a mental health day…hell, tell him to take his overtime and shove it. You know I'm not the kind of woman that's clingy and whiny and makes a big deal out of every late night you work I know that's part of the job, but just tonight—just this once—I'm making a big deal out of it."

Her voice was growing hard, and Danny knew she was near the breaking point. But he also knew there was a murder walking around free, and that any second he could kill again. Maybe it would be a woman from Harlem, or a man from Queens, or maybe it would be Maddie or Shayla or Carrie. And he knew he couldn't leave.

"Please don't," he croaked, trying desperately not to get angry with her. "I miss you, too—you have no idea how much—but I can't leave early. We'll sit down when I get home tonight and you can tell me everything…we'll put in a movie and cuddle up together on the couch like we used to…"

"No!" Maddie almost shouted into the phone. "You've always been very understanding and patient with my job, and I've been very understanding and patient with yours, but I'm tired of it. I can't _be _understanding and patient anymore. You've been gone too much…"

"I need to solve this case," he snarled. "And we need the extra money…Shayla's going to college, Carrie's already outgrown half of her clothes… I'm trying to provide for my family!"

They were both upset now, emotionally overwrought and on the verge of screaming which they knew wouldn't do anyone any good. Without realizing it, they took a deep breath together and came to the same conclusion.

"Fine Danny," Maddie decided with a note of acrimony in her voice. "Stay at work. Do what you have to do."

He flipped his phone shut forcefully and stalked back to the lab, ripping his lab coat from its hanger and slamming his fist against the counter.

So much for clearing his mind.



On the other side of the building, another couple was involved in a very similar conversation.

"_Again_ Sheldon?" Sarah asked, exasperated that they were having the same discussion for the third time that week. She stood with him in the lobby of the Crime Lab playing with the visitor's tag that was clipped to her blouse, unable to look him in the eye for fear of letting out all her frustration in front of everyone.

"It's not like I'm the only one staying," Sheldon explained, trying to defend himself. "We're all working on this one…Mac hasn't slept in over a day, Stella's been in the lab for two straight shifts, Danny hasn't seen his family…"

"I don't care about anyone else," she interrupted. "It's _you_ I want to see, Sheldon. It's _you_ that I love…can't you understand that?"

He took her hands in his and squeezed them tenderly. "Of course I understand that. I love you, too, Sarah. But you knew how intense this job was when we met…and you knew what kind of work ethic I had, too. This shouldn't be a surprise to you."

"It isn't," she agreed. "But you _know_ how many times in the past you've blown me off and I didn't say anything. Tonight is different…remember?"

"It's our anniversary, I know," he nodded. "But I can't…"

She pulled her hands away from him and frowned deeply. "Sheldon, if you can't even make time for our anniversary, for plans we've had for _weeks_, there isn't going to be another anniversary to plan for."

His eyes widened. "What are you saying?"

"I think you know what I'm saying," she replied, attempting to keep herself calm and not cause a scene. "There are just some things in life that are more important than work."

"My work is who I am," he retorted defensively. "If you can't handle my job, then maybe you can't handle me."

Sarah shook her head sadly, pulling her key ring from her purse and removing one of the keys. "I guess I can't."

She turned and walked away, leaving Sheldon standing in the lobby holding the key he had given her to his apartment, staring at it as though it had magical powers.

Danny strode through the lobby, still replaying the argument with Maddie over and over in his head, and nearly knocked Sheldon down. "Sorry, Doc," he apologized. "I didn't see you there."

"'Sokay," Sheldon replied absently.

"You all right?" Danny asked.

The young doctor shook his head. "Sarah and I just broke up…"

"What?"

He couldn't take his eyes off the key in his hand. "She gave me back my key…said I spent too much time here and not with her…"

Danny's eyes widened. _Maddie…_



Danny crept quietly into the apartment and slunk down the dark hallway. He poked his head into the girls' bedroom, smiling contentedly at his two sleeping daughters, then continued on to the master bedroom where Maddie lay curled up in their bed. Sliding off his shoes and unbuttoning his shirt, he crawled onto the bed and wrapped an arm around his wife.

"I'm sorry about today," he whispered to her sleeping form. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for the kids, and I'm so sorry I wasn't here when you needed me…" He buried his face in her neck and squeezed his eyes shut, holding her close against him. "I love you so much…"

She withdrew her hand from under the blankets and laid it over his, a sleepy smile forming on her lips in the darkness. Danny knew they would talk tomorrow, would sit down and sort out all of the things that had been bothering the both of them for the past few weeks. But at that moment, all he cared about were the four little words that Maddie whispered back to him.

"I love you, too."


	14. The Next Step

A/N: It took me a little bit longer to get this chapter up because I'm visiting the family up north, and their internet is down. Thank goodness for my sister's house!

One more chapterleft in this tale, and I'm still debating doing the third story in the series. I'm moving in a few days (as soon as I get back to my own state!), but I'll post my decision with the finale of this story just as soon as the Comcast guy gets my internet set up at the new place :-D

Until then, enjoy this: this section begins after Maddie and Danny had a chance to sit down and discuss their home life--and to straighten things out--after their argument. We pick up here as they are getting ready for a night out alone together.

* * *

"Bottles are in the fridge," Maddie explained, ticking items off on her fingers as she searched her mind, "diapers and wipes and all that are on the changing table in Shayla's room, her favorite toy is that fuzzy purple elephant that Don got her, and that's in her playpen…" 

"I know," Aiden nodded, smothering an amused smile. "I was here when she was born, remember? I helped with her then and I've taken care of dozens of other kids…I know how to do this."

Maddie sighed. "Of course you do, I'm just nervous. This is the first time we're leaving Carrie overnight."

"It'll be okay," Aiden assured her. "Don's coming over for a little while, and Shayla will be here tonight, too, so I'll have lots of help."

"Shayla's curfew is ten o'clock," Maddie suddenly remembered. "Even though it's a Friday, and she's going to be eighteen next week, Danny and I are a little edgy about her being out since Antwan got out of jail."

Aiden nodded. "I would be too."

"She'll be at the Bakers', and she should have her cell phone with her—the number's on the refrigerator. Dantrell will bring her home, and he usually stays for a little while, but that's up to you tonight," Maddie continued. She opened her mouth to speak again, but was cut off by her husband emerging from their bedroom with a suitcase.

"No boys in the house," he quipped with a playfully stern look, setting the luggage down beside the two women, "and no drinkin'. I locked up the liquor cabinet, so I'll _know_ if you were."

This time Aiden didn't suppress her laughter. "Okay, Mr. Messer," she smirked, using her best teenaged babysitter voice.

"It's _Detective_ Messer, if you don't mind," he told her, rolling his eyes.

"The number for the hotel we're staying at is on the fridge, too," Maddie said to Aiden, throwing a sidelong grin at Danny. "Call us for anything…"

"Well, not _anything_," he interrupted. "I would like to have some alone time with my wife." He leaned down and kissed Maddie gently. "We'd better get goin' or we're gonna miss our dinner reservation."

She nodded. "Okay." Turning back to Aiden, she stretched out her arms and hugged her friend. "Thanks for looking after the girls for us…it's so much easier to go knowing they're in good hands."

Aiden hugged back, smiling. "It's my pleasure, believe me. Now go enjoy your night!"

Danny reached over and hugged her, too. "Thanks again, Aid. You're the best."

"I know," the former CSI grinned. "And so is Maddie. Make sure you take care of her tonight."

"You better believe it," he smiled back. He hefted the suitcase in one hand and slid the other into place on the small of Maddie's back, guiding her out the door toward their evening alone together.

Aiden glanced around, making sure everything was as it should be before settling down on the couch to watch some TV while little Carrie amused herself in her playpen. It wasn't long before the intercom buzzed in the entryway.

"Who's there?" she asked.

"It's me, Aid," a familiar voice called back.

She pushed the button to unlock the building door and waited as Don made his way up the elevator to the Messers' apartment.

"Hey there," he smiled when she opened the apartment door.

"Hey," she smiled softly back.

They stood in the entryway for an awkward moment until Aiden remembered to show him in. "Have a seat," she instructed lightly. "Want somethin' to drink?"

"Old Man Messer have any booze?" Don joked.

Aiden chuckled. "So we're kids now, are we? Sneekin' around behind adults' backs?"

He gazed at her as she moved off into the kitchen, his mind traveling back to the days when her long hair used to curl around him whenever he managed to steal a kiss at the lab. He could practically feel her breath on his neck as he remembered holding her close against him in some back room somewhere, hiding from the rest of the staff, telling her how much he loved her. His heart flip-flopped in his chest when his mind's ear recalled her voice whispering back.

"Yo, Flack!"

Don shook his head, clearing the memories from his brain and rising from the couch to move into the kitchen. "Sorry," he told Aiden. "I was uh…"

"Daydreaming," she finished in a quieter tone. "I recognize the look on your face."

"You know me so well," he smiled.

Another uncomfortable silence developed between them, but was quickly broken by the sound of Carrie crying in the living room. Aiden put down the glass she was holding and headed toward the living room, but Don stopped her.

"I'll get her," he offered.

He trotted into the living room and made his way over to the playpen where little Carrie lay, clutching her favorite fuzzy purple elephant in her fist as she fussed. Bending down low, he scooped her carefully up in his arms.

"Hey there, beautiful," he cooed. "What's wrong? Huh? What's wrong sweetheart?"

Don cradled the baby and kissed her forehead, brushing her dark hair from her eyes as he comforted her, checking her over for anything that might be bothering her.

"She okay?" Aiden asked, bringing two glasses of soda into the room and setting them on the coffee table.

He nodded. "Yeah, just needs a diaper change. Nope," he told her before she could speak. "I'll get it."

Her hands went to her hips and she raised her eyebrows at him in surprise. "You change diapers, too?"

"She's family," Don replied with a gentle smile. "And if family doesn't take care of family, who will?"

He took Carrie into the bedroom she shared with her big sister and laid her down on the changing table, unsnapping her little onesie with sure hands. He grabbed a clean diaper and the bottle of baby powder, talking to his small charge as he worked.

Aiden followed him silently into the girls' room, leaning against the doorframe and letting her eyes come to rest on the man she had once confessed was the love of her life. She watched him tickle Carrie, crossing his eyes and sticking out his tongue, quite pleased with himself when the baby giggled at his goofy face.

Aiden smiled softly to herself. _He's pretty good at this whole taking care of people thing…_



Sheldon stood in the locker room holding his cell phone, his eyes boring holes in the little electronic device.

_Should I try again? _he wondered. _I called her three times already today, and she won't pick up…_

He frowned and decided he couldn't let things continue the way they were. Pushing the speed dial button he had reserved for Sarah, he brought the phone to his ear and hoped for the best.

"Hi Sheldon," she answered quietly.

Her voice surprised him. "Sarah!"

"Don't talk, Sheldon," she told him. "I only answered the phone to tell you to stop calling me."

"Sarah, wait…I wanted to apologize…"

"No," she cut him off. "You made it quite clear that your time was best spent on your work. Don't waste it on me now."

"Please just hear me out," he pleaded.

She was silent for a long moment before she spoke again. "You have two minutes."

He took a deep breath. "Sarah, I'm so sorry about what I said. Before I met you, my work _was_ my life. There were a few women that could tolerate the hours in the past, but nothing serious ever came out of those relationships."

He paused for another breath and heard nothing on the other end of the line.

"When you and I found each other, I was the happiest man alive," he continued. "Here was this woman that was not only beautiful, but intelligent, funny, warm…perfect for me in every way. I didn't believe in love at first sight until I met you, Sarah, and I love you so much. I was way out of line when I suggested my job was more important than you."

Sarah didn't answer right away, and Sheldon began to worry that she had hung up on him. Then he heard her sigh.

"Did you mean it?" she asked softly. "Did you mean it when you said if I couldn't handle your job, I couldn't handle you?"

He pressed his lips together and the little wrinkle in the bridge of his nose appeared as he concentrated on his answer. "The job comes with me," he replied carefully, "but the way I work it is negotiable."

Another sigh traveled over the airwaves, this one carrying a note of sadness. "No, Sheldon, it isn't," Sarah responded. "I know you, and I know your work ethic. It's all the way or not at all with you, and you'd be miserable if I tried to change that. I'd be miserable then, too, knowing that I was the one that was torturing you."

"No, sweetheart," he started, hearing the good-bye in her voice. "I want to be with you…"

"I don't think that's a good idea for either one of us," she interrupted, the quiet sorrow evident in her tone. "I love you, Sheldon…"

"Sarah, please…"

"Good-bye."

"No, wait!"

The electronic tone in his ear informed him that she had indeed hung up. He pulled the phone away from his face, unable to believe what had just happened, his eyes once again boring holes in the little plastic device.



"I loved that movie!" Shayla exclaimed, walking with Dantrell toward the Messers' apartment building. "Why have we never seen a _Superman_ movie before?"

Dantrell laughed. "Because there hasn't been a _Superman _movie since 1987," he reminded her. "And that was before you were born."

"Ah, yes…Christopher Reeve," she smiled, unlocking the lobby door and allowing him to open it for her. "Now _there_ was a Superman."

"This guy was good, too," he observed, following her over to the bank of mailboxes.

"And he looked good in the suit," she agreed heartily.

He leaned up against the wall and arched his eyebrows at her. "You were checking out Superman?" he asked incredulously.

"Hey, when a man wears that much spandex, he's begging to be checked out." She pulled her key ring out of her pocket and flipped through it until she found the right one, then inserted it into the mailbox lock and opened the door. "Why, you jealous?"

"Of Superman?" he scoffed. "He's a fictional character."

"Who saves the world everyday," Shayla grinned, pulling the mail from the box. She closed the door and removed her key, turning her grin back to Dantrell. "You are jealous!" she giggled.

He shrugged. "Yeah, okay. Maybe just a little…"

She laughed again, moving toward the elevator and flipping though the mail. Halfway to their destination she froze in her tracks, her eyes riveted to one of the letters she held.

"What?" he asked, immediately concerned by the look on her face. "What is it?"

"It's…it's from NYU," she replied in a shaky voice. "And it's a small envelope…"

He ran a hand over her back and squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. "That doesn't mean anything. Open it and see what they said."

She shook her head violently and shoved the letter at him. "I can't. You do it."

"You sure?" he asked, taking it slowly from her.

"Yeah."

"Okay." He slit the envelope open and pulled out a single tri-folded sheet of paper, his heart sinking. "Dear Ms. Green…" he read aloud, scanning quickly through the letter.

Shayla hung her head and squeezed her eyes shut. She knew NYU was a long shot, but she wanted to stay close to her family now that she finally had one. And after being accepted to Michigan and Virginia—two of the top undergraduate business programs in the country—she thought she might have a chance. Now, though, she was sure that dream was dead.

Then Dantrell's face brightened. "…the welcome packet and registration information will follow this letter…" He stopped reading and grinned at his friend. "You're in!"

"I'm in?" she repeated, dumbfounded.

He showed her the letter. "You're in!"

She read it with unseeing eyes, laughing out loud when he threw his arms around her and bear hugged her. She managed to hug him back, digging her fingers into his shoulders with glee before pulling away and reaching for her cell phone.

"I gotta call my parents," she explained.

"Tonight's their night alone," he reminded her.

She nodded. "Yeah, but I have to tell them this. They'll be upset if I don't."

Shayla flipped open her phone and punched the number in quickly, bouncing up and down when Maddie answered. "I got in!" she screeched into the phone.

"Shayla?" Maddie replied. "Is that you? Take a deep breath and calm down…"

The girl did as she was told, breathing in a lungful of air and letting it out slowly. "Dantrell and I just got home, and I stopped to get the mail on the way up…"

"Okay," Maddie encouraged, "then what?"

"There was a letter from NYU."

The light bulb flickered on in Maddie's brain. "Big or small?"

"Small," Shayla told her.

"Oh, honey, no…"

"That's what I thought, too," Shayla interrupted her mother. "But then we opened it…and I got in!"

"You got in?" Maddie parroted.

Shayla laughed at the replay of her own reaction. "Yeah! I got in to NYU!"

"Congratulations! I wish I was there to hug you," Maddie laughed delightedly. "Here, Danny's right here, too…he wants to talk to you…"

"I got in!" Shayla told him, the sentence still thrilling her.

Danny roared with cheerful laughter. "I heard sweetheart…we're so proud of you!"

The girl beamed at her parents' approval. "I don't want to take up any more of your alone time," she continued. "I just wanted to let you know…"

"We're glad you did," he grinned. "Go celebrate with Dantrell, and we'll have a big shin dig tomorrow."

"You got it," Shayla smiled back.

Danny flipped the phone shut and handed it back to Maddie, who placed it on the nightstand beside her.

"NYU," he said, wrapping his arm around his wife as she moved back across the bed they laid on. "Our Shayla is got into NYU."

Maddie cuddled up to her husband, resting her head on his chest and playing with the buttons of his dress shirt. "Yep," she returned with a smile. "Our Shayla got into NYU."

He blew out a breath, his mind jumping past the initial joy. "How are we gonna afford that?"

"Danny don't…not tonight," Maddie said. "I know we don't have much money, and I know college is expensive, but let's just enjoy the moment for our daughter."

"I can't help it. I want the best for my family," he said, his hand gliding gently down her back.

"I know you do," she replied, "and we'll figure something out."

He sighed. "We won't have any more nights out like this," he said ruefully. "We'll have to cut back on _everything_…"

"Then that's what we'll do." Her blue eyes found his and she smiled softly. "As long as I have you and the girls, I have everything I need."

Danny leaned over and kissed her softly, relaxing when his lips found hers. "Me too."


	15. Hanging By A Moment

A/N: My apologies for the delay in posting this last chapter--I moved to a different city this week, and it took me a while to find my computer in all the mess. But all is now well, and the finale of _Hanging By A Moment_ awaits your reading eyes ;-)

Good news, too, for all you Maddie/Danny fans out there. I've decided to write the third story in the series because there is _so_ much more story to tell, and I feel compelled to tell it. I'm planning on taking a little break here to organize my new apartment and collect my thoughts, but keep your eyes peeled for _Baby, One More Time_, coming soon to a computer near you :-P

* * *

Maddie stood in front of the mirror trying to pull the zipper up the back of her dress, sighing with frustration when her latest attempt failed.

"What's wrong, babe?" Danny asked, sliding his arms around her and kissing her neck.

She smiled at his attention, but quickly switched back to aggravation. "I don't think I can fit into this dress yet," she told her husband. "It's been three months and I still haven't lost all my pregnancy weight."

"Here, let me…" He pulled his hands from her waist, keeping contact with her body until the last possible second before reaching for the zipper. It went up, catching halfway, but eventually reaching the top of the dress. "See? It's fine. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself."

She squinted at her reflection in the mirror. "It wasn't a big deal when I was pregnant, because, well, I was pregnant. But now Carrie's here…and I'm just fat."

"First of all," Danny replied sternly, resting his hands on her hips again, "you are _not_ fat. Secondly, in spite of what you think—and I can see it in your eyes—you're absolutely gorgeous. You think I would have married an ugly woman?"

He winked at her in the mirror and she cracked a smile. "I hear ya there…I certainly didn't marry an ugly man. I just wish I could get rid of this extra weight."

"You will," he soothed, pulling her against him. "I know you will because you take good care of yourself. But you have to give your body time, babe. You were pregnant for nine months…give yourself at least that long before you start getting upset."

Maddie sighed again, leaning back against him. "You're right, I know. It's just hard going back to school every day still wearing maternity clothes after the baby's been born." She studied the image of the two of them in the mirror and smiled. No matter what she thought of her still-present pregnancy weight, she had to admit they looked like they fit together. _That's because we do_.

"What's that smile for?" Danny asked, turning her in his arms.

She laced her fingers together behind his neck and drew him close to her. "Because I love you."

"I'm good with that," he grinned, leaning down to kiss her.

"Okay, we're ready!" Shayla called, carrying her little sister around the apartment in search of their parents.

Danny's eyes met Maddie's as he pulled away and they exchanged thoughts before the girls found them.

_Now?_

_Now._

"In here, sweetheart," Maddie answered her daughter. "There's one more thing we have to take care of before we go."

Shayla appeared in the doorway, her pale blue graduation dress flowing around her knees. "No, not one more thing…we're gonna be late…"

"This can't wait," Danny insisted, his eyes twinkling as he took his youngest daughter from his oldest.

"We have something for you," Maddie added, taking a small velvet box from her dresser drawer. "There were a couple of times when we wanted to give this to you, but we decided to wait until graduation when it made the most sense." She showed Shayla the box and grinned. "Danny gave this to me when I was pregnant with Adam," she told the girl, her smile taking on a more serious quality. "It was a time in our lives where a lot was going on and we didn't know how any of it was going to turn out. All we knew was that we had each other."

Maddie handed Shayla the box, smiling at Danny as he continued, "You're at a point like that now. You don't know what's gonna happen, but we wanted to make sure you knew that no matter what, your family is always here for you."

Puzzled, Shayla cracked open the box and found a simple polished gold ring inside, with a flowing Latin script all the way around.

"It says 'amor vincit omnia'," Maddie explained softly, remembering the love in Danny's voice when he spoke the same words to her two and a half years ago. "It means…"

"…'love conquers all'," Danny finished with a smile.

"It's beautiful," Shayla breathed.

"It's true," her father told her. "Always."

Shayla slipped the band onto the third finger of her right hand, her eyes shining brightly. "I don't know what to say…"

Carrie piped up and gurgled happily, clapping her hands in Danny's arms.

Shayla laughed. "That works, yeah." She flung her arms around her family, hugging them tightly. "And I'd like to add an 'I love you' to that, too."

"You know how much we love you," her mother told her, kissing her cheek.

Danny planted one on her forehead, too. "Happy graduation, sweetheart," he whispered.



They all sat in the stands together at Eastside High School, filling up parts of two rows as they quietly pretended to pay attention to the graduation ceremony taking place on the football field below.

Mac glanced over at Stella, the shy smile she always brought out in him forming on his lips. He knew he was lucky to have her in his life, luckier than he had realized until that moment. _Most people pray to find their _one_ true love…and I found _two He allowed his eyes to sweep lovingly over her, squeezing her hand as he held it tenderly in his own. She met his gaze and smiled back, her soft, sweet, for-his-eyes-only smile, and his heart fluttered. _And Claire would definitely approve._

Stella's smile widened a bit as she noted the expression on Mac's face. It was a look of love for her that was no longer tortured by the love of his past. He was at peace now, free to give himself completely to her, and to accept when she gave herself completely to him. _I never imaged we'd be together like this_, she thought. _We're so happy where things are at right now, but I wonder what happens next for us…_

Seated next to Stella, Don was wondering the same thing. Aiden sat beside him, her arm almost brushing against his. It had been a year and a half since she had fled New York, leaving him devastated and bitter. But the time apart seemed to have done them some good, and while there were still sometimes awkward silences between them, they were growing closer together, re-building the bond they had once shared. _I think she trusts me more now than she did when we were in the field together_, he mused, _and our lives were at stake then._ He reached over and looped his arm through hers, running his hand over the silky material of her sleeve, content to be near her again.

Aiden grinned sheepishly when Don touched her, knowing what he was thinking without even reading his face. He loved her—he had always loved her, even after the way she had abandoned him. She forced herself to look at him, to meet head on the pain in his eyes that she had caused. But when her brown eyes met his blue ones she discovered that much of the hurt and anguish that had once been a permanent fixture had bled away. _He understands now, really truly understands. He gets why I had to leave…and he's forgiven me for the way I did it._ Her smile softened and she patted his knee, leaning over and resting her head on his shoulder.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sheldon saw Aiden's dark head lay on Don's shoulder and sighed internally. He and Sarah used to sit like that, arms entwined, leaning against each other, satisfied just to be together for a few moments without worrying about the rest of the world. But he had screwed up, and not just at the end of their relationship. He knew he should have made more time for her, _knew_ that work was not the only thing—or even the most important thing—in life. But he had brushed those thoughts away, always telling himself that he would make time later. _And now there is no later with Sarah. Can I live without her? Sure, if I want to be a miserable wretch of a man for the rest of my life. I wonder if she'll ever forgive me…_

One row below the former Medical Examiner, Dantrell was reminiscing as well, remembering that only three years ago it was he who sat down on the field at his own graduation. He chuckled to himself as he recalled how bored he had been, how he had amused himself by wondering what the rest of his family would think of his newly-earned diploma. _I was the first Baker to finish high school_, he smiled to himself, _and next year I'll be the first Baker to graduate from college. Shayla's the first in her biological family through high school, too, and I'm going to do everything in my power to help her make it through college._ His gaze fell on his grandmother and sister sitting beside him, and his smile widened at the pride and love he saw on their faces. _She's part of my family now, and family has to stick together._

On the other side of Dantrell, three-month-old Carrie sat on Maddie's lap, clapping her hands together playfully and grinning up at her parents. Maddie smiled brightly at her youngest daughter, giggling when the little girl poked her tongue out of her mouth to lick her lips. _She's growing up so fast_, Maddie thought. _It seems like only yesterday that I was looking for crackers to fend off the morning sickness before our wedding, and here she is sitting on my lap, beautiful and healthy. Of course, it was only yesterday that Shayla was a scared freshman, curled up on the couch in my old apartment watching movies and eating Italian food with Danny and me. And it was only yesterday, too, that Danny was lying in a hospital bed with a bullet hole in his shoulder. But here we all are, celebrating together._

Danny noticed the tears forming in Maddie's eyes and grinned. He could read his wife like a book and knew that she could read him just as well. It was part of the bond they shared, part of their lines of communication, part of what made their marriage work. _My wife_, he thought with awe, _and my daughters. Four years ago I was just some scientist-cop running from my past, trying to atone for all the bad things I'd done. But now I have a wife and kids that I love more than anything else in the world, and I stood up to the Mafia with their help. We had some rough times, but maybe that's all behind us now. For their sake, I hope it is._

Down on the football field, the principal came to the podium. "Next I'd like to introduce Tyanne Marshall, one of the most beautiful voices at Eastside High School, to sing this year's class song, 'Hanging By A Moment', accompanied by Joshua Brennan on guitar."

The young woman rose from her seat among the graduates and made her way to the stage, followed by her classmate who retrieved his guitar and tuned it quickly before plugging it in to the amplifier.

Shayla watched them move across the field. She, like her contingent of family and friends in the bleachers, was pondering the future and remembering the past, gently twisting the 'love conquers all' ring on her right hand. She knew it was only by the grace of God and the love of her new parents that she sat in her cap and gown awaiting her turn to cross the stage and receive her diploma. Josh began strumming his guitar and Shayla smiled. _I told Dantrell months ago that this song was the theme for my life. But even with everything that's changed, I'm still just hanging by a moment._

Tyanne's sweet voice ran out over the field and into the stands.

"I'm living for the only thing I know  
I'm running and not quite sure where to go  
And I don't know what I'm tapping into  
Just hanging by a moment here with you…"

Shayla looked up into the crowd and found her parents sitting with the CSIs and Dantrell's family. They all noticed that her attention had shifted to them, and every one of them raised a hand and waved cheerfully.

She laughed gently, happiness swelling in her heart until she thought it might burst. _I might be hanging by a moment, but I'm not alone anymore. Now I'm hanging by a moment here with _them


End file.
